


Winter in Gotham.

by smallpanslytherin



Category: Batman (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Aftercare, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Christmas Fluff, Deepthroating, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Followed by Fluff, Gay Dick Grayson, Gay Jason Todd, Gay Male Character, Jason Todd is Alive, Jason Todd is Red Hood, M/M, Minor Angst, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Swearing, followed by smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-07 20:45:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15915924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallpanslytherin/pseuds/smallpanslytherin
Summary: Dick Grayson hasn't seen Jason Todd for four months. Learning the hard way, Dick can vouch that absence does certainly make the heart grow stronger. A slow burning flame still flickers between the two, yet every time Jason and Dick seem to be getting somewhere good; something never fails to happen to make Jason run off. This time, determined not to let Jason slip away again, Dick is pleasantly surprised to run into the very man himself when least expected. Unable to let old feelings rest, the pair share a kiss. Realising just how miserable they are without the other one around, their kiss has the possibility to ignite a much stronger flame bound to lead to much more than just a kiss being shared.





	1. Coffee and Ink.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally able to take some free time to himself and just be Dick Grayson for a while, the man of the hour decides to go window shopping to wind down for the evening. But, when did life ever go how Dick wanted? An unexpected face makes Dick's evening take a surprise turn, and Jason Todd is to blame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes:  
> \- Swearing.  
> \- Playful flirting.  
> Other than this, there is no violence or sexual themes depicted and so I chose not to use any warnings. Future chapters however will include those themes, so here is your heads up! Thank you so much for reading ♡

Winter in Gotham. This was the only arguable time of year the City didn’t look like something straight out of a Bram Stoker novel. Although the Gothic architecture remained as dark and daunting as ever, real seasonal happiness had undeniably been peppered over every street and home like snowdrops; and perhaps that was the reason Dick Grayson enjoyed the Winter season the most. The ground had become swaddled in a thick blanket of snow in late November this year, the kind that would crunch under your feet in such a satisfying way when stepped upon. Most footprints in the snow were left at night in a rapid pace from civilians rushing home, trying to beat the biting cold air before it attacked their exposed necks and knuckles. Even for Gotham, a cheer pulsed through the area with jolly holiday music mixing perfectly with the lights strung around everywhere, lighting the way into bakeries with fresh-out-of-the-oven pastries and a hearty cup of mulled wine. Even the grotesque stone gargoyle statues, a perch that Dick was very used to taking up on his patrol nights, seemed to have a quaint little charm about them as beautiful frost swirled around the cracks formed from years of being rained on. 

Yeah, Winter in Gotham was definitely Dick’s favourite time to be around. However, as much as he loved the scenery, the real reason Dick melted into the throes of Winter was down to the fact that crime took an oh so needed dip when ice began to manifest on the sidewalks. Sure, it didn’t stop completely, but it seemed even criminals did not dare face the harsh cold and slippery fire escapes once the long nights and short days began to creep over the landscape. Heroes never got time off, they couldn’t take holidays, but with the low crime rates the season brought in; Dick could take some time away from his Nightwing persona, and just enjoy being Dick Grayson doing his holiday shopping.

Currently, 5.45pm flashed on Dick’s digital watch, the sun already having sunk from the sky an hour ago to submit to the moon and stars that now sparkled above; matching the festive lights and miniature trees decoratively placed in shop windows. As people were so desperate to grab holiday deals, or just indulge in the atmosphere of window shopping and lavish spending, shops pushed themselves to stay open a little later than usual; so Dick had plenty of time to fade into the crowd and enjoy some high spirited solitude. He’d finally gotten away from vigorous training and research for the day, and now found himself free to wander the streets adorned with friendly smiles and carol music. It was a very welcomed feeling, and even the cold making Dick’s ears and cheeks turn red brought the relaxed sensation that came with leisure time. There was something quite comforting about Dick having to pull his coat tighter around himself as he walked through the streets, a subtle reminder Winter was really here. A blue scarf ran around his neck that knotted tightly at his chest, while his thick black coat had the collar upturned to spare the man from the wind that would chase abandoned newspapers on the road as he walked. 

Dick raised his hands to his mouth, cheeks puffing out like a bellow upon a fire to warm them up, shivering slightly as his breath did nothing to appease how quickly his bones were freezing. Shoving his hands into his coat pockets, Dick glanced around for somewhere to slip inside and shop, preferably a location serving hot drinks. As his trained eyes scanned the crowd, they fell upon a familiar place, making Dick’s chest swell with nostalgia. _‘Coffee and Ink’_ stood opposite Dick, a bookshop with a built in cafe who served the best tea imaginable, in Grayson’s humble opinion. His diet and workout routine was, to say the least, _strict_. But, this particular cafe had always been a little place Dick allowed himself to slack slightly, and perhaps enjoy a cream filled drink along with a gingerbread or two. Grinning, Dick stepped forward and pulled the door open, causing the bell above to ring out, as if the shop itself was welcoming him inside. 

An instant wash from the orange glow caused by the electric candles hit Dick, almost sure he could have tricked himself into thinking he’d stepped into a hot bath due to the tension in his shoulders instantly disappearing. Cinnamon and coffee permeated the air as Dick continued to walk inside, taking a deep breath in as he tugged at his scarf to loosen it slightly. At the same time, Dick’s other hand began to unbutton his coat, as the new location had made the man go from too cold to suddenly too warm. Every table had a festive centerpiece, while the chalkboards listed once-a-year holiday specials that everyone craved. The banisters separating the dark walnut flooring of the cafe and the small step leading to the carpeted maze of bookshelves and feature stands were entwined with tinsel and fairy lights of every colour.  
“Wow.” Dick mumbled quietly to himself, internally delighted by the amount of books lining the walls past the cafe area. It was really perfect, something out of a fairy tale, and Dick felt like nothing could ruin his night at all. Although, unknown to Dick, a holiday gift was about to fall into his lap that the man had been wishing for since early August. 

The line for coffee wasn’t unbearably long, but Dick decided to browse the books first. Knowing Alfred, there would be something perfect for him tucked away in the shelves, (that was probably untouched and dusty). Dick also liked the idea of picking out something for himself too. He didn’t have enough books in his apartment at all, and any he did had been stolen by Jason; while Dick was still shocked to learn Jason enjoyed to read in his spare time. The man’s throat involuntarily tensed as he thought of this so casually, as Jason hadn’t crossed his mind for a long time. Not in such a relaxed way, that was. Jason crossed Dick’s mind all the time, but it was usually at 1am when Dick couldn’t sleep and felt so very alone. The last time the pair had spoken, if Dick remembered correctly, must had been at least 4 months ago now. Dick’s relationship with Jason was quite complicated, their dating had been very on and off, and whenever Gotham got too much for Red Hood, he would leave without notice for weeks on end. The _actual_ last time Jason and Dick had been in the same room together was inside the Wayne residence, where an argument had broken out between Bruce and Jason. Dick was upstairs minding his own business, when he had heard Jason’s shouts and Bruce’s cold tone echo up the stairs. Dick had rushed to investigate, and seemed unable to catch any hints in the conversation about what had sparked the fight. But, looking back on it now, Dick definitely remembered how when he had grabbed Jay’s wrist to stop him storming off, the man’s eyes were full of tears as he forced Dick to leave him alone. 

Jason was not the type to cry over simple things, so to see such an emotional reaction to whatever had gone on here displayed how serious it had been. Dick wasn’t stupid, and so had let Jason go, knowing how much steam the man had to blow off and how he’d want to do it alone. However, Dick seemed to be too slow when checking in on Jason the next day, as the man’s typical place of residence had been totally emptied out. Jason, once again, had skipped town. Dick knew he shouldn’t let it get to him, but every time Jason simply left without a word always got under the older man’s skin. Whenever they seemed to be getting somewhere, _something_ would come squashing Dick’s dreams and Jason would run off. 4 months was the longest time Dick had gone without seeing Jason; while the reality of spending the holidays without that little brat came crashing down on the former Robin. Dick swallowed again, pushing all thoughts of the argument and how much he missed Jay out of his mind. The man was in his favourite shop, had a free evening and money to blow on books and treats. Collecting himself, Dick slipped past the line for coffee and looped around the banisters leading him to the books. As Dick moved, he had maybe taken four steps onto the carpeted area when his heart had dropped down into the pit of his stomach so suddenly Dick could have been on a roller coaster.  
_‘You HAVE to be kidding me,’_ the man thought to himself, blue eyes blinking in disbelief at the sight before him. 

Jason Peter Todd, in all his damn glory, was stood 5 feet away from Dick. He hadn’t changed one bit, if Dick was honest. Jason’s signature leather jacket hugged his shoulders and back tightly, while his wind tousled hair was pushed back and showing off his proud streak of white tangled in the black. Jason looked tired, he always did, and his posture was slumped forward like usual. Slightly torn blue jeans contrasted with the jacket, leading to scuffed and dirty combat boots that were probably on their way out. Dick couldn’t help but feel Jay always carried such an effortless ruggedly handsome look about him, with the light stubble dotting his cheeks and over the scars he sported. Each scar and curve of Jason’s face had been touched and caressed by Dick at one time or another, whether it was rushed in the back seat of a car or calm and safe inside Dick’s bed. A longing feeling washed over Dick, his whole stomach twisting as he found himself wondering if Jason thought about these things too when the two men looked at each other.  
Jason’s attention, however, was fully on the book he had in front of him, one hand holding it as he scanned the blurb while his other was shoved in his jean pockets. Fingerless gloves were pulled over Jason’s hands, and the longer Dick stared at the man before him, the more irritated he found himself growing over how Jason was dressed. And somehow, that was the first thing to come out of Dick’s mouth.  
“You know, you’re going to catch a cold dressed like that, don’t you?” Dick’s authoritative tone had escaped his lips without permission, and the man internally slapped himself. He hadn’t seen Jason for 4 months, and his opening line was a criticism, way to fucking go, Richard. 

The voice made Jason’s head snap up to investigate who was pulling him into a conversation, and as his gaze fell upon Dick, an all knowing smirk came to his lips. Jay’s eyes made a slow show of it, starting at Dick’s face and playfully sweeping down his whole body, before doubling back on themselves and meeting Dick’s face again.  
_‘Did he just seriously check me out?’_ Dick asked himself, forcing his eyes to stay still and not roll at Jason’s antics.  
“Hey, Dickie-Bird.” Jason’s smooth voice left his lips like smoke, blinding all of Dick’s senses from anything that wasn’t Jason. “So, come over here to lecture me, or are you going to tell me you miss me?” Jason purred, presenting his question with such a cocky smile, like Dick would fall for that.

Of course Dick would fall for that. 

“Jason.” Dick’s voice came out much more gentle than he had expected it to. The way he spoke the man’s name was like a sigh of relief. Not only had it been so long since Dick had even said it, (well that was a lie, he said it plently when alone in bed), this was the first time he’d said it to the man’s face in months. It felt good to say it out loud, but even better to know Jason was hearing him do so.  
Jason gave another signature smile, feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up as Dick breathed out his name so softly. Jason, in his own opinion, was not a beautiful person nor was he worth much; but when Dick was the one to speak his name, it made him feel like a little less of a mess. The men entered a dance of trying to work out where their boundaries were after 4 months apart. Dick thrust his hand forward for a shake, while Jason was already in the process of raising his arms for a hug. Upon seeing this, Dick raised his other hand to hug Jay around the middle; while Jason had dropped his hand to shake Dick’s. Both laughed awkwardly as they stepped on eggshells around the other, Dick’s eyeline falling to the floor in embarrassment while Jason rubbed the back of his own neck.  
“Hug?” Dick finally asked, bringing his eyes back up to look at the taller man, shrugging his shoulders.  
“Hug.” Jason repeated, a soft expression on his scarred face as he opened both his arms, inviting Dick to step into them. 

Jason usually did this, and part of Dick always enjoyed it. Being a few inches smaller (and quite lighter) than him, it was always easiest for Dick to press himself up against Jason, on his tiptoes if he felt like it, than Jason trying to bend and accommodate to Dick’s body. Both men suddenly felt like nervous teens again, as Dick wrapped both his arms around Jason’s back and allowed his temple to rest lightly against Jason’s jaw. Immediately, without even thinking about it, Jason’s arms closed around the older man and placed one palm in the middle of Dick’s shoulders and the other in the small of his back. Time would have slowed down if both had their way, so Jason could fully take in how soft Dick’s hair felt against his cheek; while Dick could trace every muscle he was able to feel even with Jason’s jacket in the way. The lingering fingertips gave away the fact this wasn’t a hug between two friends, and both men tugged away from the other far too soon for it to be a hug between lovers. So many feelings were surfacing for Dick, while Jason was solely focused on holding himself together, as the silence between them began to get awfully apparent. Jason could still feel the essence of Dick’s warmth all over his chest, and if not for his muscles seeming to have frozen up, Jason might have been brave enough to ask Dick to hug him again with an added kiss too. Dick was first to break the silence, settling on hugging himself while his eyes darted everywhere they could apart from Jason.

“Do you maybe want to get a coffee here?” Dick asked, already worried Jason would run off again. “You can catch me up on where you’ve been all this time.”  
Although Dick was smiling as he said this, finally bringing his eyes back to Jason’s face, the younger man felt nothing but a tidal wave of guilt slam into him; hard. _‘Catch me up on where you’ve been all this time.’_ Jason knew Dick was too polite and selfless to get angry, to cause a scene in the middle of a store demanding to know why Jason hadn’t even bothered as to so much call to let Dick know he wasn’t dead. No, Dick was gentle, and had his emotions on a very tight leash. Jason, though? He was rough around the edges, and chose to drown his intensities in alcohol rather than face them. Dick was far too good for him, he was sure of it, and to know Dick missed Jason still baffled him. But, with no alcohol in hand, guilt began to stalk Jason down and tear up his insides like a rabid wolf out for blood with claws made out of ice.  
“Yeah.” Jason finally spoke, swallowing a lump in his throat as his mask of ‘cool and careless rebel’ plastered itself onto his face. “Couldn’t have you sat alone looking like you’ve got no friends, could I, Dick?” Jason chuckled, gesturing over to the seating area as he slipped the book he was looking over into his jacket. “Lead the way.” 

Dick happily took charge of the situation, as focusing on finding a table was a minor distraction from the fact Jason was right there, in Dick’s favourite place to visit. A table by the window was quickly snagged. It was quite a cosy one, placed far away from the rest, a table that was probably intended for couples. Jason made a beeline for the chair on the left of the table, the one facing the door. Doing so made him slide by Dick, their knuckles just touching as Jason moved past him, and part of Dick was sure Jason did it on purpose. As Jason dived for the chair he wanted Dick let out a small huff of amusement under his breath, sitting there meant Jason’s eye was on the door: on the exit, his escape route. Typical Jason, really, and Dick found himself smiling at the man’s behavior. Dick took the other chair much more gracefully than Jason did to his own, comparing how the two were right now to how they were 6 months ago inside his head. If this was late June, then their legs would have stretched out under the table to tangled up together, while Jason was whining for attention and wouldn’t stop until Dick’s hand was outstretched and fussing over what such a handsome man sat opposite him. But now, both pairs of legs were tucked under their chairs to stay as distant as possible, and Dick’s eyes were fixed on the surface between them rather than Jason’s face. Both sat down like this, desperately trying to stay in their own personal space, made them look like total strangers rather than people who knew more than anyone else about the other.

The centerpiece on this table took form in a wreath, with berries and pinecones laced into the gold tintented leaves. Sitting pretty on top of the wreath however, was a beautiful pretend robin with a bright plume, red chest puffed out with pride as its feet gripped round one of the berries; looking ready to take off with it.  
“Look, it’s you.” Dick began to laugh, gesturing to the decoration.  
“What?” Jason gunted, narrowing his eyes at the humour Dick was expressing and he was missing.  
Dick leaned forward, tracing the bump of the robin’s chest delicately with the tip of his finger. Jason watched him, somehow finding himself envious of the inanimate object.  
“The robin. Chest all stuck out like he’s better than everyone else, most likely stealing that berry.” Dick explained, beginning to laugh more and more as he continued with his comparison. “See, _my name is Jason and I think I’m the greatest_ , it’s totally you.” Dick mocked the man opposite him, forcing the tone of his voice to drop as he mimicked Jason’s own voice, pretending to speak as the Robin.  
“Oh, ha ha, golden boy.” Jason scoffed, leaning back in his chair as his thick arms folded over his chest. “You like how arrogant I am, Dick. Don’t deny it.” Jason spoke with pride, raising his chin and popping his chest in a smug sort of sense. So, maybe Dick was right, the robin _did_ look a bit like Jason. “Do you want a coffee, Dick?” Jason asked, his words forcing out small talk for the sake of avoiding silence now the laughter was dying down.  
“Sure, I’ll just-.” Dick had begun to dig into his pocket for his wallet, but Jason’s legs were faster.  
Springing forward, Jason had hooked them around Dick’s chair and yanked it forward. Dick gasped as the chair was suddenly jerked, pinning his arms between the back of the chair and the table; rendering reaching his wallet futile. _‘God damn, Jason Todd.’_ Dick internally muttered to himself, flexing his fingers under the table to make sure he could still feel them. Both men’s eyes seemed to drift to each other, locking in some sort of stand off. Jason admired the steely look on Dick’s face as he kept himself so still and calm, waiting for the next move. But, knowing Dick like Jay did, that steely expression would be melting in no time.  
“I want to buy it.” Jason announced, causing Dick to taunt in response.  
“Is that why you trapped my arms against the table?” Dick asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at the man opposite him.  
“Yes.” Jason answered simply, releasing his grip on the chair as he stood to his feet.  
But, rather than heading for the counter, Jason’s palms spread out on the table between them as his body began to lean forward; arching slowly. Dick felt his hands twitch under the table as Jason was in his personal space all of a sudden, the signature smirk beaming as Jason leaned in so intimately close; his lips almost resting against Dick’s ear.  
“Now, tell me what you want.” Jay whispered, allowing his words to dance off his lips and into Dick’s mind in such a sensual way, having his fun driving the other man crazy with the double meaning of the statement.  
Dick’s eyes fluttered shut over Jason being so close, absolutely falling apart as the familiar voice began to drip against him like honey. _‘You,’_ Dick’s mind screamed so desperately over and over, as a small shiver spread itself over Dick’s spine in clear view of the other’s gaze; leaving Jason absolutely grinning over how much power he held in that moment.  
“A gingerbread coffee with cream...please.” Dick swallowed hard, adding the ‘please’ as if he was afraid of being scolded for bad manners. Jason waited to give his reply, allowing the tension to swell just a moment longer before he graced Dick with a response.  
“Good boy.”

Jason pulled himself away in such a light-some manner, he might as well have been a cat moving with gliding steps. Dick turned his head just in time to see the man swan off with a smirk so big it could be seen from the heavens. As Jason joined the line for a drink, Dick buried his hands into his face and groaned quietly. Jason had been back in his life for less than an hour and the damn bastard was already flirting like they were on a first date. Somersaults were things Dick was extremely familiar with, and so the man instantly recognised his stomach performing 5 in a row as thoughts flooded his mind of how embarrassed he was over shivering and how cocky Jason was going to be for seeing it. While Dick was trying to slow down his heart beat, Jason ordered and retrieved the coffee with a smile on his face that nothing could remove. For himself, Jason ordered a simple black coffee, deciding Dick had ordered a drink that was sweet enough for the both of them. Scooping up both cups, the younger man made his way back to the table with a slight swagger in his hips, since he loved teasing Dick like this so much.  
“Here you go, Dickie.” Jason cooed, placing the paper coffee cup down in front of his companion before falling back into his own chair.  
“Thanks, Jaybird.” Dick threw a nickname right back at the man, taking the shine off the other’s confidence as even Jason felt his knees go weak at that particular pet name.

Snow had started to fall again, looking like someone had thrown a bag of iced sugar up against the window the two men currently sat by. More people began to make their way in now, Dick watching the way Jason’s eyes would scan every time the bell rang; looking out for potential threats with every new face who entered. Part of Dick thought Jason had grown up a little and had naturally become more conscious of his surroundings, while another more inkling suspicion believed Jason was simply bored and looking for someone to start trouble with. It felt like the two had been chatting forever as the time went by, and as Dick thumbed the cardboard wrap around his cup, he noticed his watch blinking 7pm; around an hour before the shop would close. Jason was currently in the middle of a nonsensical story, but Dick couldn’t stop himself interrupting. He knew how Mr. Todd was renowned for talking his way out of truths and punishments; a ploy Dick himself had fallen to more than once.  
“Jay, I’m sorry to interrupt.” Dick began, the nervous look on his face making Jason’s smile fade quickly.  
“S’no problem, what’s wrong?” Jason asked, trying to sound nonchalant as he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth.  
“Where have you been for the past four months?” Dick asked his question in a straight tone, since there was no graceful way to get around the subject.  
“Yknow’,” Jason began, leaning back in his chair, “around.”  
“For four months?” Dick asked, his tone rocking towards the slightly impatient territory now. It didn’t matter if his questions were direct, it’s not like Jason would give straight answers to him anyway. “Look,” Dick gave a gentle smile, swirling the last of the cream around the bottom of his cup, “I’m not mad or anything. You were just right about what you said before, that’s all.”  
“I’m sorry, did Dick Grayson just tell me I was right about something?” Jason mocked a gasp, leaning forward on the table like a great secret had just been told. Dick rolled his eyes in response, leaning in too. “What was I right about, Dickie-Bird?”  
“You were right about the fact I missed you.” The words came out so hushed, as if Dick himself was afraid to admit it. “We all do, Jay,” Dick mumbled, deciding to test the waters of Jason and Bruce’s last meeting.  
Jason felt another pang of guilt strike at him again. He didn’t care about Bruce missing him, but Dick, he cared about that; more than he’d want to openly admit. Four months without a word, and here Dick was, being sweet as pie and drinking coffee with Jason like he’d never done anything wrong in his life.  
“I don’t deserve someone as sweet as you, you know that, Grayson?” Jason murmured, staring down into his empty coffee cup as he tapped his fingers on the side of it.  
“Is that your way of saying you missed me too?” Dick gave a small laugh, he was always willing to be patient with Jason, even if he was a brat.  
“Maybe.”  
“Are you willing to show me you missed me?” This question was proposed in such a tender way, Dick’s lips barely moved as he spoke.  
“Maybe.”  
Both men seemed to have continued leaning in, closer and closer over the table during the past few minutes of conversation, now only inches apart. Jason’s fingers moved away from the empty coffee cup that was now very boring; and instead settled itself onto the smooth face of Dick Grayson, guiding him by the jaw to Jason’s lips. The gap between them both was closed, and the snow outside continued to fall without hurry; as Dick and Jason’s lips touched. Dick leaned into Jason’s rough palm like it was a safe place, sighing with content as his lips brushed against Jason’s own; a relaxed and slow kiss that made both the men’s lips tingle in protest for more when they pulled apart.  
“Stay.” Dick’s breathless voice had returned, looking at Jason with glazed over eyes like he was the eighth wonder of the world. “Please, stay.” Dick continued, his eyes falling shut again as he took a moment to memorise what Jason’s hand felt like on his cheek; just in case Jason really did leave again.  
“Convince me.” Jason’s voice was in a dull drawl, sounding like he was even too relaxed in that moment to come across as cocky.  
Eyes closed still, Dick smiled into their next kiss. Resting both his elbows on the table, Dick pushed himself forward as far as he could to create a lock against Jason’s lips, kissing him like it was his last chance to ever show Jason affection. Jason was the one sighing now, feeling himself melt into the way Dick’s pink and delicate lips felt against his own. The kiss was wonderful, a tiny release of pressure that had been building up for the past four months, and Dick didn’t want to pull away for anything. If this was how he was going to die, then so be it.  
“Dick, I gotta breath.” Jason couldn’t help giggling at how enthusiastic the man before him seemed, pulling away with panting breaths and a very silly smile. “I thought you hated PDA?”  
“I do, but you’re worth it.” Dick muttered, his eyes now opening so he could look at Jason through his thick lashes.  
“Jay, _please_.” Dick tried one last time, pouting his lips at the other man in hopefulness.  
“I’ll stay.” Finally, the words Dick were so desperate to hear came out of Jason’s (frankly, addictive) lips. 

Dick had no idea if Jason was going to keep that promise, but while the man was here at least, Dick was going to enjoy it.  
“But, I can’t right now.” Jason’s voice broke the daydream, and Dick felt a lump of ice slide its way down his throat. The warmth of Jason’s hand was plucked from Dick’s face, _‘God no, don’t go, not now.’_  
“Why?” Dick asked, slight panic in his tone now when in reality, all he wanted to say was ‘fuck.’  
“The bookshop, you idiot. I can’t stay here, I’ve got some stuff to do.” Jason said with a shrug, glancing to the snowy window.  
“Oh.” Dick bit his lip, God, he sounded so clingy. “Stuff like...our stuff?” Dick squinted his eyes, wondering if Red Hood himself would be making an appearance in Gotham tonight.  
“Uh huh.” Jay grinned, glad to see a somewhat look of relief on Dick’s face. “But…” Jason cooed, drawing out his sentence to make Dick practically sit on the edge of his seat, just for fun. “If you’re still in that apartment, I can swing by later?” Jason suggested, giving one of his butter-wouldn’t-melt smiles. “I’ll even bring you a coffee.”  
“Just bring yourself, and I’ll be happy, you psycho.” Dick laughed, feeling like he had the first thing to look forward to in a long time.  
But, the reality set in as Jason began to get up. Right, space and time between now and then, meaning time between seeing Jason. Dick felt like a love sick puppy, he hated it. But, now wasn’t the time to force Jason to listen to everything Dick had wanted to say in the past four months, that could wait.  
“See you, boy wonder.” Jason got up as he spoke, raising a hand as he walked past Dick and towards the door, letting his fingers lace through Dick’s hair as he went. Dick bit down on his lip to try and stop himself smiling so much, hearing the bell ring, and Jason was gone. 

Dick stayed out a little longer before going home, picking himself up some last minute snacks and some simple stocking fillers for family and friends. The one thing he hadn’t managed to do, however, was find a book for himself that seemed interesting. Every thought seemed to be shoved out the way by Dick’s mind replaying his kiss with Jason in slow motion, and he had eventually just given up on trying to find something. When the man was greeted with his plain apartment door, it had just gone 9:34pm, and Dick found himself cringing. He was now one of those people who got home before it even reached 10pm, apparently. Sliding his key into the lock, Dick hummed softly to himself as he walked in and switched the lights on with his elbow, kicking the door shut with the back of his foot. Everything seemed in place as Dick walked inside, placing the paper bag down on the kitchen counter and heading straight for the couch. Walking around for so long in the snow had made his legs ache, and so dropping down onto something comfortable and warm was extremely desirable right now. But, as Dick searched for the remote, something else took his attention. Right in the middle of the coffee table was a book, one that was not there when he had left this evening. The book, in fact, was the same one Jason had been looking at when Dick first bumped into him: “How to Repair a Mechanical Heart.” The man’s heart tensed for a second, _‘when the hell did that little bastard break in here?’_ Dick asked himself, feeling a huge smile slip onto his face as he stared at the crumpled paper by the novel. 

__

“I thought you mind need something to do until I get back.  
Jay x”


	2. He’d Stay.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life pleasantly turned upside down, Dick waits in his apartment for Jason to arrive, reading the book given to him to pass the time. There were so many things Dick and Jason wanted to say to each other, but when Jason did finally arrive, not much talking seemed to happen at all. That being said, however, the amount of noise the pair created while screwing made up for it.   
> (SEXUALLY EXPLICIT CHAPTER)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes:  
> \- Swearing.  
> \- Mild violence. (Jason shoots someone in the leg, there is no graphic detail however).  
> \- EXPLICIT sex. (Safe, sane and consensual).  
> Thank you so much for reading ♡ Got requests? Comment down below!

Jason sat lazily on the roof of a building, chin of his helmet nestled into his palm as he tapped it excessively. Fuck, criminals were so rude, didn’t they realise he had better places to be tonight than trailing their sorry asses? At least the snow had stopped, but Dick’s words of catching a cold still echoed in Jason’s mind. Perhaps the fingerless gloves were not as practical as he would have liked, but Jason had an aesthetic to stick to, he did hold the title of the most handsome man in Gotham after all. (At least that’s what he told himself, anyway). The man’s legs swung back and forth in annoyance, his heels scraping against the building of the wall like an impatient toddler. Jason had been trailing this scum for a while now, maybe a week or so, extremely sure Gotham was going to be the next place he struck. Not only this, but Red Hood was also willing to bet it would be on this exact street, and so Jason had been sat here for the past 40 minutes. His ass was going numb, honestly, but at least his helmet could accommodate to the earphones under them; allowing Jason to mumble along to the music in hopes of passing the (very slow) minutes by.  
“Till tonight do us part, I sing the blues and swallow them too...” Jason sang softly to himself, flexing the fingers on his free hand to keep the blood rushing around them. 

The man sighed loudly, forcing his phone out of his jean pocket to look at the time; 10:30. Jason replayed the events of that evening in his head as he waited, now pulling his hand from under his chin and instead ghosted his fingers over the gun on his hip. It had been almost 2 hours since Jay had slipped inside Dick’s apartment to leave that book behind, _‘I wonder if he’s reading it?’_ Jason asked himself, soon shaking the idea from his head; he had a mission to focus on. Jason took great joy in the idea of that book sitting in Dick’s apartment for two reasons: firstly, the gesture helped ease his guilt that had festered over time, as Jason had accumulated much more than just 4 months worth. But, the main reason it made him chuckle was simply because he hadn’t paid for it. Dick had seen Jason slip it inside his coat as they went to find a table, and his poor Dickie-Bird was so caught up in Jason’s (stunningly handsome, if he did say so himself) eyes, the man hadn’t even realised Jason got up and left without buying it. Stealing it wasn’t his intention, he could truthfully say that, Jay just happened to forget the book was in his jacket. Because, well - was he himself caught up in Dick’s (way more beautiful) eyes? Yes. Would Jason ever admit that? Hell no. It was fine though, Jason would just drop by and leave a huge tip tomorrow, all even.

A sound in the alley way came out of nowhere, causing Jason to slam the pause button on his phone so harshly, he was surprised the screen didn’t shatter. Eyes narrowing behind his helmet, Red Hood leaned forward to investigate the source. Waiting with baited breath, Jason felt his chest grow tight as he saw the exact man of the hour beginning to limp out of the shadows.  
“Fucking finally.” Red Hood mumbled to himself, jamming his mobile back into his pocket as his other hand desperately worked his gun from the holster.  
The man came into great view thanks to the moon, the light from the celestial being reflecting off his silver knife, as he searched for a new life to take. Jason’s blood began to boil, who knew how many people had already fallen victim to that weapon?  
“Alright, come to daddy.” Red Hood murmured, teasing the trigger of his gun as the perfect shot lined up. He could easily hit the man’s head from here, he’d be dead before he hit the ground. _Bang._ But Jason wasn’t that type of person.  
The bullet spun through the air, propelled by the wind as it sliced through the man’s leg as if he was made out of paper. Not enough to kill him, but just enough to slow him down a little; a state Jason Todd was very familiar with. The killer keeled with ease, dropping down onto one knee over the shock of being shot, his knife tumbling to the floor with a clatter. Perfect. 

Sliding forward, Jason practically skipped down the fire escape, jumping over the last few steps in triumph as adrenaline began to flood every muscle in his body. The killer desperately dug his nails down into the wall, pushing his palms up against anything he could to get to his feet; bad leg slightly bent. Jason continued to walk forward at an unhurried pace, it wasn’t like this guy was going to meet a different fate tonight, no matter what he tried. But, they always tried, as Jason found death was such a scary thing to those who hadn’t died before. Determined to do something to fight back, the criminal raised his fist and aimed it for the red symbol sprawled across Jason’s chest.  
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Jason warned, as the killer’s hand slammed down and the noise of buzzing electric rippled through the air. “Now that has to hurt!” Jason mocked a gasp, watching the enemy fly backwards as he suffered sparks running through his whole body. No one ever seemed to remember about the taser built into his body armour. “Now if you’d just listened to me,” Jason began, bearing down on the man now whimpering pathetically on the floor; still twitching, “you could have saved yourself a lot of pain.” It felt real good to be Red Hood sometimes, and right now was one of them. 

Dick’s night was going much more calmly. The clock ticked methodically, each marker of noise seeming to flow in time with the man’s eyes as he scanned over the book Jason had left. He was currently curled up on the couch, a mug of tea balanced on his lap with a blanket draped over his shoulders. Most people would probably be losing their minds to see the time was past 11pm at this point, and although Dick was anticipating Jason’s arrival, he was not too concerned. Being someone to grow up around Bruce Wayne, regular sleeping patterns were pretty much unheard of, and so being awake right now wasn’t hard at all; especially with the novel gripping Dick’s interest so much. It was quite a sweet book, yet how Jason had even managed to come across it, Dick would never know. It was a gay young adult romance novel, and Dick already found himself pining for the main characters to get over their fears and just talk, to confess how they felt for one another. Was this some sort of subtle message from Jason? No, no, Dick pushed that thought as far from his mind as he could. Jason enjoyed their sex, and anything affectionate when it was convenient, but he didn’t want love like Dick did, and that was probably why Jason thought it was fine to go under the radar for months. It’s not like he was Dick’s boyfriend, he held no obligations to the man, and Dick found his chest swelling up in a very uncomfortable way as all these thoughts invaded his tranquil apartment. Jason just wasn’t wired that way, and Dick had to accept it, as much as he wished Jason would tumble into his apartment with roses and chocolate like they were in a crappy romance movie. 

_Knock-knock._  
“Dick, it’s me.” Jason’s voice drifted through the closed door, slightly muffled. Dick’s heart jolted, all feelings of sadness suddenly dulled in his system. Jason was here right now, and that was all that mattered.  
_‘Speak of the Devil,’_ Dick thought to himself as he quickly got to his feet, thumbling with his mug and book as he tried to put them on the table at the same time as rush to the door. God, he had it for Jason bad, he felt like an idiot. Finally, cup on the table and book resting face down so Dick wouldn’t lose his page, the man stood up straight and let his blanket fall back onto the couch before walking towards the door; fixing his hair as he did so. _‘It’s just Jason,’_ Dick told himself as his hand moved forward, sliding the lock aside and gripping the handle, _‘just Jason.’_  
The door was finally pulled open, the sight before Dick making the man let out a tiny involuntarily chuckle. No, it wasn’t just Jason, it was Red Hood.  
“You wore that thing the whole way here?” Dick asked, continuing to laugh at the helmet clad man, in such a way that made the corners of his eyes crinkle up. Damn, Jason secretly loved it when Dick’s face did that.  
“Are you going to let me in?” Jason responded, arms crossed over his chest as he scowled behind his helmet, actually glad he was wearing it now to cover up the pink flourishing on his cheeks.  
“Be my guest, Red Hood.” Dick mocked as he stepped aside, sweeping his arm as an invitation for Jason to walk in. “Don’t get me wrong, it certainly suits you.” 

It felt strange, to be here again after such a long time. Jason examined his surroundings as Dick began to shut and lock the door, wondering if anything had changed. It was mostly the same, bar a few house plants and by the looks of it, a new yoga mat. Memories came flooding back to Jason of how both would go about the early mornings at Dick’s apartment before the man had skipped town. He could see the picture clear in his head, almost like watching a home movie. Jason, as he would be every morning, was slumped on the couch with a cup of black coffee looking and feeling like death. This was quite a contrast to morning person and literal ray of sunshine Dick Grayson, who was busy sprawled out on his mat in nothing but boxers, bending into positions Jason wasn’t even aware the human body was capable of doing without being in agony. The sunlight would bounce off the curve of Dick’s spine like he was a star in the centre of the stage, putting on the performance of the year and Jason was lucky enough to have a ringside ticket. Just thinking back to it made Jason feel relaxed, until another spike of guilt drove itself through his heart without warning. 

At the time, Jason remembered thinking it felt so... _domestic_ , and two days later he was already packed and halfway out of Gotham without so much as a goodbye kiss for his birdie. Every step away from Dick’s apartment had Jason’s chest screaming, demanding to know why he was leaving such a soothing life, the possibility of something beautiful, leaving him? Well, the man had told himself time and time again, _‘Jason Todd doesn’t do love_ ,’ and so as soon as thoughts about keeping a toothbrush at Dick’s apartment came creeping up on him, Jason would uproot himself and never look back. However, even when repeating this mantra, part of Jason had to question that surely the fact the thought was there in the first place meant this wasn’t just casual dating and sex? The fact that whether it had been 4 weeks or 4 months, Jason always seemed to find his way back into Dick’s apartment without a second thought? Jason closed his eyes, mentally emptying his head of everything revolving around this being something more than just a little bit of fun.  
Dick could do better, so much better, and one day he’d find that person, and Jason would go back to being the guy Dick did missions with, and sometimes saw at the holidays and nothing more. Deep down, Jason was sure of the fact that even if Dick was stupid enough to want to be with him, the boy wonder would soon realise how much better he could do; and would easily find someone more fantastic than Jason in every way. Unprepared to deal with that, Jason cut the problem off at the bud, and never allowed himself to stay around long enough to hear those terrifying words leave his lips without control. Jason took a deep breath in, puffing out his chest in fake pride as he thought back to the internal conversation he had with himself before knocking on Dick’s door. The time until Mr. Perfect walked into Dick’s life and made Jason look like absolute trash was unfortunately unknown, but while Dick was here at least, Jason was going to enjoy it.  
“Earth to Jason?” Dick asked, raising his eyebrows in amusement over the man seeming to space out for a minute in the middle of his living room.  
“Oh, uh.” Jason bit his lip behind his helmet, fuck, he was an idiot. “You got a new yoga thing, right? I guess I got a little distracted by it.” Nice save, Todd, nice save. 

Dick felt his stomach do a funny twist over Jason noticing something so boring and trivial about his living space, and a spontaneous new wave of confidence began spreading over him. Deciding to show off, Dick gracefully allowed his body to fall into a one handed handstand, perfectly transitioning into a backflip with a landing that just so happened to put him face to helmet with none other than Jason.  
“Want to see me use it?” The acrobat’s voice purred gently, somehow able to look at Jason perfectly in the eyes, even with that helmet in the way; now it was Jason’s turn to shiver. Dick’s hands raised, fingertips tracing Jason’s jacket so lightly the younger man might have well been imagining it.  
“Come here.” Jason was dropping his shoulders in an instant, strong hands clamping around the back of Dick’s thighs and lifting the man, causing Dick’s face to light up as his arms and legs tangled themselves around Jason’s muscular frame.  
Jason could feel Dick’s laughter vibrating in his chest like this, and it took every ounce of strength in his 14 stone body not to dissolve right there and then. Dick’s thighs rested comfortable on Jason’s hips, the younger man’s hands acting like a makeshift seat for Dick’s rear to rest against.  
“I want to see your face.” Dick mumbled, his hands dancing up Jason’s arms and shoulders, feeling so soft against the man’s neck as he finally reached the helmet; gripping it with expertise as he slowly pulled it away from Jason’s head. 

There was that beautiful sight again, the one that never failed to make Dick forget everything he ever knew, apart from how to say Jason’s name. Blue eyes scanned Jason’s features, allowing himself to memorize every single line and curve as if it was the last time Dick would ever get the chance to do so, lazily drifting from Jason’s lips to the man’s eyes; as Dick already looked absolutely intoxicated by amatory. Jason had such a beautiful shade of green in his eyes, Dick always said they were very unique and most of the man’s best memories revolved around those eyes meeting his when Dick woke in the morning. Then, Jason’s thick lips, pale yet soft, standing out from his rough cheeks like something special. His hair, so wild yet smooth, with that damn white streak carrying as much confidence as the man did himself. In Dick’s mind, not falling in love with Jason Todd was practically impossible, really.

The next moment seemed to trigger like a well strung trap, as if a show of individual fireworks were all going off at once. As soon as Jason raised his boot to take a step forward, Dick’s fingers began to let go of the helmet in his hands. His loose grip let it to drop with total disregard as Jason pushed Dick’s back up against the door, Dick gasping so sweetly at the same time the helmet hit the floor; the tension between their bodies fit to burst. Searching blue and green eyes spent a moment of waiting, _longing_ , saying everything that needed to be with nothing more than a simple glance. This was the calm before the storm, and both men were about to feel the rain clouds open up above them with thunder and lightning striking the black sky like a drum, beating in time to their own hearts. Dick’s hands found themselves laced into Jason’s hair, bunching it up in his fists and tugging at it gently as their lips pressed together, causing Jason to growl into the kiss as his body arched; forcing Dick tighter up against the door.  
“I still remember what you like.” Dick whispered against Jason’s lips with a smirk, relaxing his back to welcome Jason’s body pressing up against his, referencing the many occasions Jason had begged for Dick to pull at his hair.  
“You’re filthy, Grayson.” 

The kisses shared over the next few moments were nothing like the little pecks earlier that day. These were full of desperation and yearning, almost as if both were afraid that stopping for just a second would make the other disappear from their grasp. Jason bit down on Dick’s bottom lip, causing an extra hard tug of his hair to happen; Jay’s knees buckling at the sensation causing his weight to fully fall against Dick. Happily, the older man basked in the feeling of being pinned between his door and Jason’s thick body, grinding his hips against the man opposite him; as Jason’s lips began to explore Dick’s heated cheeks and neck.  
“No, Dickie-Bird, that’s _my_ job.” Jason’s voice came out in such a dominant snarl, serving as a warning to the man within his grasp as Jason rolled his hips forward so hard the door began to shake in the frame.  
“God, _Jason_.” Dick had no protests to this, allowing his head to fall weakly against the door as his eyes rolled back, the first moan of the night sliding past his lips in utter delight. 

Jason held Dick tight against his chest as he stepped away from the door, locking the older man in another kiss again as he continued to walk until his knees hit the armrest of the couch. Falling forward, Dick’s back hit the couch with a dull thump, Jason following quickly as he toppled on top of the older man. Dick’s cheeks burned, spreading his legs to accommodate to Jason’s large body resting between his thighs. A moment went by of heavy breathing as Jason found himself admiring the way Dick looked, pink lips shining from their kissing with hair already a mess from being thrown onto the couch. Jason could look at him like this for hours, suspended between desperation and fulfilment, craving Dick’s touch like oxygen. He was so beautiful, and Jason’s soul did a frontflip as Dick’s hands slid into his jacket, pushing it away from his broad shoulders; taking his time to feel over every inch of Jason’s uniform as he did so.  
“You want this off?” Jason teased, rolling his shoulders slightly as he looked down at the angel under him.  
“Please.” Dick answered so sweetly, already utterly bewitched by Jason, desperate to feel skin against skin.

Jason smirked, burying his face into Dick’s neck as he began to bite and nip, taking the opportunity to slide his jacket off and onto the couch; feeling Dick’s hands shoot straight for his back to explore the well built muscle.  
“See, Dickie, I know what you like too.” Jason murmured, catching Dick’s most sensitive spots between his teeth, sucking softly as the man under him began to squirm. Dick always made such adorable little moans and pleas whenever Jason’s lips or teeth got anywhere near his neck; and the older man could already feel himself turning into putty in Jason’s hands. “Your turn.” Jason cooed, pulling back as he gripped the hem of Dick’s shirt.  
Within an instant, Dick’s arms were raised for Jason to tug the clothing item off with ease, his chest rising and falling as each breath brought a wave of tensing ab muscles. Jason’s pupils seemed to double in size at the sight before him, feeling like a wolf that hadn’t eaten meat for months. Gloved hands began to explore, Jason’s bare fingers tracing the curve of Dick’s pectoral muscles, taking his very sweet time to drag his fingertips down over the man’s budded nipples. Dick’s eyes fluttered shut below Jason, curving his back to pop the upper half of his body out. The way Dick reacted to the hands on his body made Jason look like a puppet master, totally in control and able to make Dick’s body tense however he wanted it to.  
“So fucking sensitive.” Jason whispered to himself, biting down on his lip in anticipation as his fingertips continued to travel over Dick’s abs and all the way down to below his navel, making the older man feel tingles wherever Jason’s fingers graced.  
“Your hands are freezing.” Dick gave a weak grin as he defended the way his body jerked, not exactly complaining about how Jason was touching him.  
“I’m sure I can think of somewhere to put them to warm up.”  
“Shut up, Jason.” Dick challenged, though Jason was too busy smirking at his own flirting to notice.

Sometimes Jason forgot just how well Dick could handle himself in a fight, so used to seeing the man’s more gentle side. But, Jason was soon reminded of Dick’s capabilities rather roughly as the gymnast suddenly twisted his body and threw Jason off him; making Jay grunt as his back hit the floor with a thud. Dick grinned, gracefully joining the younger man on the floor as he perched in a straddle position on the his lover’s groin and thighs.  
“Easy, birdie.” Jason spoke with a breathless tone, gazing at Dick with such awe as the man simply shook his head.  
“I told you, Jay, I missed you.” Dick’s fingers began to do the talking for him, starting to unbuckle Jason’s belt so fast it looked like Dick’s life depended on it.  
Jason lifted his hips up as Dick began to tug on the leather, helping the belt slide off before Dick threw it over the back of his shoulder; not caring wherever the hell it landed. As soon as that was out of the way, Dick’s nimble fingers began to make very short work of the buttons on Jason’s jeans, as the man currently being undressed happily sat back and watched the show. One after one, the buttons were popped, painfully slow; Jason able to see how much Dick was enjoying teasing him like this by the evil smile on the older man’s face. 

Jason’s length pulsed inside his boxers, feeling a wave of need radiate from his shaft as Dick’s fingers were so teasingly close.  
“You look really good in your uniform.” Dick complimented Jason with a shy ingenuity, causing Jason to sit up and give a comfortable laugh in response.  
“Really? I’d have thought you hated it with how bad you’re trying to get it off me.” Jason purred, wrapping his arms around Dick’s lower back as the two kissed again, looking a mess with Jason’s jeans pulled open and Dick’s shirt draped over the couch without bother. Both men’s lips were burning from how intense their kisses were, Dick pulling away from their current one to move onto what he really wanted to do.  
“Stand up.” Dick spoke his request gently, Jason slowly starting to follow through with a curious frown; sliding out from under Dick to get to his feet.  
Dick remained on his knees, half lidded eyes following Jason’s face as the man stood. Dick looked so small like this, causing Jason to have to fight off the urge to pull the older man into his chest and hold him for as long as he lived.  
“Dick, stop teasing me.” Jason pouted, already missing how it felt to be under his lover. 

Joyful to comply, Dick reached up and hooked his fingers into the band of Jason’s boxers, sliding them down the man’s muscular legs along with his jeans, causing them to bunch up at Jason’s ankles. The sweet release from clothing pressing down on Jason’s erect length came suddenly, making the hair on Jason’s neck stand on end as the cold air wrapped around his body. Freed from the tight fabrics, Jason’s cock sprang up with excitement, the tip sliding by Dick’s cheek and leaving a shining tail of precum behind; Dick’s intentions suddenly clicking in Jason’s mind.  
“ _Oh_.” Jason whispered, feeling his throat go dry as he realised how badly he had been wanting this to happen today, starting from the moment he saw Dick drinking something with cream in it.  
Dick did nothing but grin up at Jason, looking so excited over the idea of pleasing him - fuck, Jason did not deserve this man at all. Dick’s hand danced up Jason’s thighs, wrapping around the base of the man’s length, earning a shudder from Jason as he eagerly watched Dick’s mouth, tracking it with his eyes. Upon noticing this, Dick gave an innocent little chuckle as his hand began to travel up and down Jason’s shaft, pumping it as Dick began to tease.  
“What? What are you waiting for, Jay? What do you want?” Dick spoke with that filthy little tone of his, his mock innocence implying he knew exactly what Jason was waiting for. Jason smiled at their little game, his still gloved fingers coming up to push Dick’s hair from his face.  
“I want that pretty little mouth of yours to go as far down as it can, right around the cock in your hand.” Jason’s voice was rough with foreplay; dirty talk being one of his finest skills.

Just hearing Jay talk like that already had Dick hitting his teasing limit, eyes falling shut as his lips brushed against the head of Jason’s length, giving warm and wet kisses that had Jason tilting his head back in want, his whole body tensing as Dick finally gave in. Jason groaned as he felt Dick push his head down, unable to process how good it felt for the head of his length to part the man’s pleasantly hot lips, as Dick’s tongue began to thrust and lick around the underside of Jason’s thick shaft. Longing to do this for months, Dick wasted no time in performing everything he could to please, allowing the shaft to slide against the full length of his tongue as Dick pushed himself down to the base. A very deep groan left Jason’s lips at the feeling of his entire length being taken in, Dick waiting a moment for Jason to bask in the warmth before beginning to suck and bob the entire time he worked his way back up to the tip. It was like each lick caused Dick to just crave Jason even more; Dick’s eyes drifting open as he finally came back up to the head, pulling it from his lips like a cherry with a very satisfying _pop._

“Dick, fuck.” Jason moaned his lover’s name, the admiration just spurring the man on his knees forward, as Dick began to lick and run his lips along the length of the shaft like it was a lollipop, earning even more groans from Jay who was struggling to stay stood up right.  
Dick’s hand closed around the tip of the man’s length, thrusting it back against his palm as his lips traveled down, looking up with wide eyes in search of praise.  
“God, babe.” Jason’s eyes were shut tightly, his use of language making Dick’s own eyes close to savour the moment - the things he would give to hear Jason say that every day. “Dick, please can we-?” Jason’s words got caught in his throat as Dick began to suck on the base of the length with his tongue brushing over a bulging vein, Jay’s hands balling into fists over how much effort he was putting into not cuming already just from the blowjob.  
“Sure.” Dick’s voice came out a little more gentle, enjoying Jason to take the lead in situations like this, his entire mouth and cheeks covered in saliva and pre-cum from licking and sucking Jay’s cock so much. He knew what Jason wanted, and part of Dick’s chest lit up from how sweet Jason was, asking permission first like a gentleman.  
Jason’s eyes opened at the response, taking in how good Dick looked like that, on his knees with his face shining. The man began to unlace Jason’s boots, pulling them off so Jason could step out of his clothing for comfort, the gesture earning Dick fingers curling themselves into his hair.  
“Thanks, baby.” Jason sighed with content, pushing his jacket out the way as he sat down on the couch, spreading his legs wide.  
“Call me that again and I won’t make it to you fucking me.” Dick admitted, feeling himself absolutely fall apart every time Jason called him something so sweet. 

Jason’s stomach had already tensed up in anticipation, feeling like he was under some sort of spell as Dick moved so gracefully to kneel between the man’s spread legs; even in this position Jason was still convinced Dick was an angel.  
“Remember the limits?” Dick asked with a shy smile, already beginning to busy his mouth with giving delicate little kisses to Jason’s thighs.  
“One squeeze is ‘I’m okay,’ two squeezes are for ‘I need to breath soon,’ and three is ‘stop,’ birdie.” Jason quickly listed their system, making the end of his sentence all that more exciting to Dick with the coo of a pet name.  
“Good boy.” Dick threw back with a smug smile, the sudden praise making Jason’s already dripping cock tense.  
Satisfied with Jason’s memory, Dick put on a show of gripping the base of the length while locking eyes with Jay, his tongue swirling around the tip in such a filthy way before taking the shaft into his mouth. As soon as the older man’s head had dipped, Jason began to lace his fingertips into Dick’s hair, his gloved palms resting against the man’s cheekbones; gently tracing circles with his thumbs onto Dick’s temples as he waited for a signal. Dick worked himself as far down as he could comfortably go on the length, eyes closed in a relaxed sense as his tongue wrapped around the length with each movement, swallowing the precum with delight. 

Once the older man was fully settled, Dick’s hand wandered to Jason’s exposed thigh and grabbed it tightly, giving one small squeeze. With Dick content and ready, Jason’s grip tightened as his hips thrust up, and Dick’s head was pushed down. Jason was an instant mess, throwing his head back in pure pleasure as the tip of his length brushed against the back of Dick’s throat; as Jason tried to remind himself to take it easy on the man and not go too hard. Every little moan and gasp Dick made would vibrate around Jason’s length, but the way his throat muscles would contract as Dick swallowed around the cock jammed into his mouth was the thing Jason really wanted to feel. Early on into their first ever time dating, Dick had learnt that Jason was very much a fan of deepthroating, and with a quick system worked out, Dick was happy to please Jason like this.  
“Fuck, fuck, God you’re so good at this.” Jason’s voice was a shaking disaster as he began to buck his hips up, each thrust causing Dick to choke and swallow around the length, his lips brushing against the base in such a teasing way.  
Allowing himself to run away with the pleasure, Jason’s grip on his lover forced Dick’s head up a few inches so the tip of his shaft rested on the back of Dick’s tongue before starting to roll his hips forward at a rapid pace, Jason’s moans falling from his lips as he throatfucked the man on his knees. Dick groaned every time the length would roughly hit the back of his throat, feeling his own shaft desperately fighting to get out of his clothes. Dick jerked his head as he swallowed, choking badly as Jason suddenly forced him all the way down again; the shock of taking the length all the way down to the base causing Dick’s muscles to contract in such a satisfying way for Jason, shivering over how fucking good it felt.  
“Fuck me.” Jason whispered in a heated tone as he held Dick in place, wanting to keep that warm and tight throat around himself forever, if he had the choice. 

Dick dug his nails down into Jason’s thigh as he started to see stars behind his eyelids, giving two quick squeezes. As much as he wished he didn’t have to, Jason’s forceful hold on Dick’s head instantly let go, allowing Dick to pull his head back off the length and take an extremely needed gulp of air. Jason’s eyes were fixed on the man’s face, feeling his whole body tremor over what a sexy scene it was. Dick’s mouth hung open in such a perfect ‘O’ shape as he panted, his chest rising and falling rapidly to work air back into his lungs. Using Dick’s throat and mouth in such a position caused all of the precum and saliva coating Dick’s throat to push forward when he choked, leaving Jason’s cock a wet mess, while strings of both substances connected Jason’s tip and Dick’s mouth like ribbons. Slowly, Dick opened his eyes again, half lidded from being used in such a dirty way, the saliva on his chin slowly beginning to drip down onto his bare chest. Seeing Dick like this was almost as satisfying to Jason as the deepthroating itself. 

“Hey, angel.” Jason cooed, sitting forward and cupping one hand to Dick’s cheek, while his other began to delicately clean up the man’s face. “Feelin’ good?” Jason asked, watching the way Dick’s body was already so weak with intense eyes.  
“Good.” Dick repeated, his voice sounding tired and strained from all the pleasure he had just given Jason, making his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. “God.” Dick whined, pulling back from Jason’s touch as he covered his face with both of his hands, his heart hammering. “I sound so-.”  
“-Sexy, yeah, you do.” Jason cut the man off, finding his heart absolutely melting whenever Dick got shy. “Come on baby, I think you deserve a little bit of attention now, don’t you?” Jason chuckled, his words causing Dick to stop hiding behind his hands.  
“What, here on the couch?” Dick asked, biting down on his lip just at the idea.  
“Why not?” Jason grinned, leaning forward to press a lingering kiss on Dick’s forehead. “Go get the stuff, and I’ll take the rest of my armour off.” Jason mumbled, though part of him thought they probably didn’t even need lube with how much his cock was currently dripping with his lover’s saliva.  
“You, Jason Todd, are dirty.” Dick commented as he slowly got to his feet, feeling his head rush as he stood up.  
“Yeah, that’s what you like most when I fuck you, right Dickie-Bird?” Jason called after the man with a tone of loveable arrogance as Dick disappeared into his bedroom, and Jason began to tug off his gloves and chest piece. 

Jason threw the clothes as carelessly as Dick had with his belt, part of the man finding the scene of clothing all over the floor quite exhilarating.  
“Hey.” Dick’s quiet voice came from the doorway of his bedroom, the man stood there, stripped of clothes with a bottle of lube and condoms gripped in his hand. Jason turned to look at his lover, a smile on his lips.  
“Hey, baby. Come here.” Jason held his hand out, beckoning Dick to join him on the couch, and the man happily followed the order.  
Dick’s hips naturally swayed as he stalked over to his lover, interlocking his free hand with Jason’s as the man was pulled down. Dick stradded Jason’s lap again happily, throwing the items down on top of Jason’s jacket before wrapping both arms around the younger man’s neck. Jason’s own hands began to trace patterns on Dick’s back, taking a moment of undisturbed softness, his head turning to the side as he began to spread kisses all over Dick’s arm and wrist. Dick began to laugh, causing Jason’s stomach to tense in anxiety.  
“What?” Jason asked, pulling his head away from the kisses to look at Dick.  
“Nothing, I just think it’s sweet. You can dirty talk all you want in the world, but you always give me such gentle kisses.” Dick mumbled, beginning to curl the back of Jason’s hair around his fingers.  
_‘Because you’re so precious to me, I couldn’t bare being too rough.’_ Jason’s mind spoke truthfully, yet the man’s teeth were clamped down hard on his lip to stop any words coming out. “I’m not gentle, I’m just trying to catch my breath after that amazing blowjob.” Jason lied with a grin, causing Dick to roll his eyes and tuck his face between Jason’s jaw and shoulder in embarrassment.  
“You have a disgusting mouth, Jason Todd.” Dick mumbled, beginning to nip and bite at the man’s collar bones.

Jason tilted his neck to the side, basking in the feeling of for a moment before Dick’s shifting body caused the man’s length to brush against Jason’s navel.  
“Excited, babe?” Jason teased, sliding his hands all the way down to grope his lover’s rear, massaging Dick’s cheeks in each hand with an indulgent smile.  
“You have no idea.” Dick sighed, beginning to rotate his hips in desperation. “Jay, please.”  
“Please what?” Jason asked darkly, dragging out the moment to push Dick to the brink of his patience.  
“If you don’t fuck me right this second I think I’m gunna die.” Dick didn’t bother holding back, his spine tingling as Jason’s hand left his body and grabbed for the lube.  
“That’s what I like to hear.” Jason growled, nipping at Dick’s jaw as the lube was squeezed, leaving a thick trail on Jason’s index and middle finger.  
Dick relaxed his knees, spreading his legs as far as they could go as he felt Jason’s digits apply pressure against him, stifling a gasp of intense cravings. Jason’s fingers pushed forward, sliding in with ease as he began to slowly work Dick open, making the man in his lap grunt and moan; wishing something much bigger was going in instead.  
“So easy, baby, have you been keeping yourself nice and stretched?” Jason teased, his fingers pushing past his knuckles as the comment made Dick’s walls tighten around them.  
“Every night.” Dick groaned, digging his nails down into Jason’s shoulder blades as he pushed back against the man’s hand, already starting to bounce lazily, causing Jason to give a smug chortle.  
“You’re such a little slut behind closed doors, aren’t you, Dickie-Bird?” Jason teased, beginning to push his fingers up as he stroked Dick, searching for that all important spot.  
“Only for you.” Dick’s voice came back in a clement moan, his eyes shut tight in pleasure as his hair fell forward from the motion of bouncing. _‘Only for you,’_ the statement alone made Jason’s entire cock twitch. 

“Jay, I’m really okay.” Dick mumbled, his eyes fluttering open as he pulled his hands back to cup the man’s scarred face. “I need you, now.” Dick’s thumbs trailed back and forth over Jason’s face, biting down on his lip as he found himself growing bored of fingers far too quickly.  
“Missed how I feel inside you so much, baby?” Jason purred, never protesting against Dick stroking his sexual ego as he pulled his hands away from the man, making a grab for the condoms and lube; Dick giving a lust drunk smile in response.  
“You have no idea, Jason.” Dick savored the man’s name as he spoke it, as if it was the most sacred thing on earth; watching Jason roll the condom down his shaft with extremely hungry eyes.  
Jason poured more lube into his hand, coating the condom with it just to be sure Dick would be more than comfortable. Dick swept his head down, catching Jason’s lips in a heated kiss as he practically squirmed in anticipation, waiting for Jason to finish his preparation. Jason tugged his head back, escaping Dick’s grasp as he chuckled over the man acting like a dog in heat.

“You sure?” Jason mumbled against Dick’s mouth, one last check before he was about to give Dick the night of his life.  
In response, Dick chased Jason’s lips to kiss the man again, tilting Jason’s jaw back to deepen the kiss as far as it could go as he reached down, gripping Jason’s length and positioning it to line up with himself perfectly before sinking his body down.  
It was such a blissful feeling, Dick’s body tensing around Jason's length like that, as Dick gave such a satisfying moan into Jason’s mouth, sounding as if he’d just slipped into a hot bath after a long day.  
“Fuck.” Dick pulled away from the kiss with shaking lips, the tips of his fingers stroking over Jason’s face as the length continued to slide into him. “How do I always forget how fucking huge you are?” Dick’s tone shook as he spoke, so overcome with pleasure he couldn’t stop himself from cursing. Jason’s tongue ran over his lips, leaning into Dick’s gentle touch while his nails dug down into the skin of Dick’s back at the compliment; his own mind going white with pleasure over how damn tight it all felt.  
“Shh.” Jason whispered softly, his hips shuddering as he felt himself bottom out. “Let me take care of you, babe. My turn to make you feel good.” Jason’s hushed voice sent chills down Dick’s spine, as their eyes met in the heat of the moment. 

Jason’s hands snaked over Dick’s body, settling on the man’s hips as Jason teased his own lips between his teeth, bucking his hips up into Dick. It was an amazing sight to watch, from Jason’s perspective. Dick’s lust entranced eyes falling shut as soon as the cock stroked his insides, head thrown back in pleasure causing his adam’s apple to protrude. Jason gave a quick tug back of his hips, the motion causing Dick to let out such a deep, guttural moan of intense pleasure from being fucked into. Seeing Dick like this was honestly enough to make Jason blow his load right then and there, but the man resisted, determined to fuck Dick to within an inch of his life and make the man orgasm first.  
“Like that, Dickie-Bird?” Jason spoke in sotto voce, his voice sounding so deep now as he wrapped both strong arms around Dick’s back and pulled him as close as he could. “Like how my cock feels buried so deep in you like that?”  
Dick was almost drooling, nodding his head vividly as it seemed the man had already forgotten how to talk, his forehead falling forward weakly and landing against Jason’s shoulder, absolutely sinking into the man’s embrace.  
“That’s it, _God_ , that’s it.” Jason gasped, beginning to thrust his hips up so hard into Dick, he would be surprised if the man wasn’t bruised raw tomorrow.  
Dick slowly turned his head, nuzzling it into Jason’s neck as he felt pleasure buzz over every inch of his body from the way Jay’s hips rolled up into him, using the last ounce of strength he had to force his own body down against Jason’s thrusts.  
“Harder, please Jay.” Dick managed to stutter out, his words vibrating against Jason’s neck as he begged to be filled so fast and hard until he couldn’t walk anymore. “Oh fuck, _JAY_.” Dick’s whole body seemed to writhe as he called out the man’s name, feeling the length inside him hit that damn perfect spot. 

Jason reacted instantly, wrapping one hand around Dick’s own shaft and pumping it as fast as he could in time to his thrusts, letting his own head loll to the side to press his cheek against Dick’s temple. The older man’s walls were contracting around Jason’s shaft like crazy, edging closer and closer with each thrust to his breaking point.  
“You’re so close, baby, gunna cum for me?” Jason growled, working Dick’s shaft to its limits as Dick suddenly began to squirm, leaving violently red nail marks all over Jason’s shoulders.  
“Yes, yes, oh my god, yes! _Jason_ , yes!” Dick began to chant his lover’s name, feeling himself fucked into such a state of sensuality it was the only word he could remember.  
Jason pushed Dick’s hips down to make the man grind into his thighs as Jason totally buried himself, each thrust abusing Dick’s prostate to the point of breaking. Jason never got tired of hearing Dick say his name like that as the man began to cum, digging his nails down so deep into Jason’s shoulders he probably drew blood, his seed exploding all over Jason’s bare chest. Jason groaned at the sensation, part of him absolutely loving how it felt for Dick to spill over him like that, so warm and sticky, dripping down Jason’s abs.  
“Holy shit.” Dick’s voice was barely a whisper now, his body weight falling against Jason as he wrapped his arms around the back of the man’s neck as tight as they would go. “Jay, cum for me, please.” Dick begged so sweetly, tensing himself around the man’s shaft as much as he could.  
“How couldn’t I when you feel so fucking good?” Jason grinned, his teeth catching Dick’s lobe between his teeth as he finally stopped resisting and let himself go, happy his lover was satisfied. 

It hardly took three more thrusts for an orgasm to suddenly hit Jason, the intense feeling burning over his entire body as he buried himself inside Dick again, a string of curses leaving his red lips as he felt his own semen fill up the condom and surround his length, warm and satisfied. Dick pressed his full weight down onto Jason as the man began to cum, tensing himself around the length as he slowly rocked his hips back and forth, riding Jason through the orgasm as the men held each other close, both panting messes.  
Tentatively, Jason drew his hips back and pulled out of his lover, making Dick shudder at the empty feeling inside him all of a sudden.  
“Ugh.” Dick groaned in displeasure into Jason’s neck, shaking his head softly. “Can’t you just stay in forever?” The man mumbled, causing Jason to laugh deeply.  
“You sound like you’re ready to pass out, c’on, Dickie-Bird.” Jason sighed, gently rolling Dick to the side so he was curled on the couch, leaving Jason free to get up.

The loss of body heat caused Dick to snap to his senses a little, rubbing his tired eyes as he forced himself to sit, even though his muscles ached from such an intense fuck. Jason’s footsteps echoed through his apartment, causing a very strong feeling of panic to rear inside Dick, whipping around to try and see what Jason was doing.  
“You’re not leaving, are you?” Dick blurted out, his tone coming off a little more desperate than he would have liked, especially since he was speaking to Jason.  
Jason was stood in the kitchen, but luckily this was not an issue due to the fact Dick had an open apartment. The older man felt his mouth run dry as he waited for Jason’s answer, digging his nails down into the couch.  
“Dick, relax.” Jason sighed, shaking his head as resisted making a smart comment about how needy Dick was. “I’m just cleaning up.” Jason clarified, gesturing to his hips.  
“Oh.” Dick mumbled his words, suddenly feeling extremely stupid as he sank back down into the couch. 

Jason disposed of the condom, drying himself off from all the lube before grabbing more tissue and heading back over to the couch, kneeling in front of Dick as he began to clean all the lube up off the man’s thighs, too. Dick’s body jumped at the gesture, and he wished Jason wasn’t so damn hard to read sometimes. But, a part of Dick’s stomach flipped over from happiness too, sinking back into the couch as he let Jason handle the aftercare and clean him up.  
“So, if you’re not busy.” Dick began, mumbling his words so badly Jason was lucky to have heard them.  
“Dick, if you want me to stay the night, I will. Besides, it’s not like I’m just gunna stop by for a fuck and leave, is it?” Jason smiled, finishing his clean up.  
_‘Wouldn’t be the first time.’_ Dick mentally commented to himself, but decided not to share. He was lucky enough to have Jason staying for the night, and the shine of the after sex glow still remained, bringing Dick back to a relaxed state.  
“Come on, we can watch a movie in your room, yeah?” Jason suggested, giving one of those smiles that could kill.  
“Sure- JAY!” Dick squealed as he was suddenly scooped up by the stronger man, soon after thrown over Jason’s shoulder with a grin.  
“That was an _‘I can’t walk for a week’_ type of fuck, let me carry you.” Jason teased, handling Dick’s squirming with ease as he pushed the lights out with his elbow, taking his prize back to the bedroom. 

Soon enough, Dick’s laptop was propped up on the bedside table, displaying some stupid (and way too gory) horror movie Jason had picked out. Being the taller of the two, Jason took the position farthest away from the laptop screen with his head propped up by his elbow and hand; while Dick curled up in front of him. Jason’s after sex affection, Dick had come to learn, was very hit and miss. Sometimes he would want to cuddle and cling, while other times would only get so close as to lie next to Dick, and nothing more. Dick wasn’t sure if it was all the dirty talk or the fact it had been four months, but tonight he was graced with an affectionate and caring Jason; the best feeling in the world, if you asked Dick anyway. Even though Jay’s eyes were fixed on the screen, his free hand constantly dragged back and forth from Dick’s hip to his shoulder, tracing patterns and giving small affectionate squeezes every few minutes. Bodies pressed together so closely, Dick’s whole back felt warm and cosy as the two led in comfortable silence, enjoying the other’s company. It was nice, the nicest Dick had felt in a long time. Jason dipped his head, placing a chaste kiss on the older man’s delicate skin, just by where Dick’s neck and shoulder met. Dick couldn’t help himself, unable to resist the urge to roll over and just hold Jason like his life depended on it. Dick flipped himself around, nuzzling his face directly into Jason’s chest as he tangled their legs up, sliding his hand over Jason’s waist to promptly attach himself to the man. Jason let out a small laugh, craning his neck slightly to try and look down at Dick from such an angle.  
“Movie too scary, Dick?” Jason asked, a tone of underlying teasing in his voice.  
“Tired.” Dick whispered back, hugging Jason tighter to his chest. Not only was it a perfect excuse to cuddle, but it was also true, Jay had done a magnificent number on him.  
“Alright, sleepy time.” Jason decided, leaning forward and outstretching am arm to click the laptop lid shut, plunging the room into darkness; bar the tiny pockets of moonlight that slipped through the curtains. 

Dick groaned at Jason deciding to turn the laptop off, meaning the man had to let his grip go so Jason could get up. Dick was already shivering without Jason’s body heat, feeling as if he couldn’t breathe without the man pressed against him. Jason slid himself down, finding a comfortable position on his back as he opened his arms for Dick. Within an instant, like Dick had been waiting for it, he slid into Jason’s embrace and settled himself down on the man’s chest. Dick happily used Jason’s pectoral as a pillow, surprisingly soft when led like this. Their legs entwined again, as Dick reached up to find Jason’s hair, beginning to play with the strands with such a tenuous touch. Jason smiled in the darkness, God, how he had missed this feeling. Jason wrapped both his arms around Dick, holding the man against his chest securely, tilting his head to the side to spread a trail of small kisses across Dick’s temple.  
“Jay?” Dick asked, his sleepy voice barely penetrating the dark.  
“Yeah?”  
“Thank you for staying the night.”  
“Wouldn’t leave for the world, Dickie.” Jason whispered, giving Dick one last little squeeze as the two settled down together.  
Dick felt so calm like this, Jason able to feel the man breathing with a motion similar to a waltz. Jason, although never willing to admit it, always felt like a better man when holding Dick. Sure, he’d done some shit in his lifetime (and his previous one too), but somehow being worthy to caress and care for his birdie like this made Jay feel like he was maybe worth something after all. 

_‘Stay.’_  
The word exploded inside Jason’s mind without mercy, every inch of his body burning up as he relaxed his shoulders against the mattress. What was the original plan? Jason thought back to the way he told himself the night was going to go, about how he was simply going to wait for Dick to fall asleep before slipping out of the window. But God, Dick felt so soft against him like this, so safe. Part of Jason wanted to shake the older man right there and then and scream how much he felt for him, what he would give to be with him. But then again, the more sensible part of Jason recoiled at the idea. Feeling his heart and brain argue like this, with Dick’s fingers lazily running through his hair, Jason’s heavy eyes started to close. He was tired, and the bed very warm, and Dick so perfect. In that moment, although Dick would never know, Jason Todd’s walls melted for the moment, deciding maybe this wasn’t so bad after all. Right now, what Jason was feeling seemed good, and sleep had taken him before he knew it.

He’d stay.


	3. Unsaid Things.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when things had started going good, everything went bad. Falling asleep in Jason's arms, Dick felt very ready to confess everything he had ever wanted to, and make all those unsaid things said. But, an unseen spanner is thrown into the works, making Dick and Jason seem as far apart as they ever had been. Feeling heart broken over something he had just witnessed, Dick decides to take control of his pain and catch Jason in the act. But, revenge isn't as sweet as first thought, and those unsaid words come out in the least likely way Dick ever thought they would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes:  
> \- Swearing.  
> \- Mild violence. (Jason and Dick have a little scrap, there is no graphic detail however).  
> \- Mild angst. (Nothing too heart breaking).  
> Thank you so much for reading ♡ Got requests? Send them my way! Do you want the next new story to have Jason dominant again, or would you rather see Dick take charge? Let me know below!

Everything felt absolutely perfect, Dick had fallen asleep so quickly tonight for the first time in months. No tossing and turning or unsettling thoughts, just pure undisturbed sleep. There was just something so special about feeling Jason’s body nuzzled against his. Not only was it the warmest feeling in the world, but it also meant Dick could drift off into a peaceful sleep knowing exactly where Jason was and that he was also very safe. The older man had fallen asleep convinced that this time things were different, that when he woke up in the morning he’d make Jason a cup of coffee and they’d sit by the window together, and Dick would finally explain to Jason that the only time he was truly happy was with the younger man. Very excited for the next day to come and finally say those unsaid things, Dick had fallen asleep within seconds of laying upon Jay’s chest, and nothing could snatch away the blissful feeling blooming inside the apartment.

But, as usual, Dick was so very, very wrong. The first small crack in the perfect picture came in the form of weight shifting on the bed. Although it wasn’t enough to make Dick snap into a panicked state of thinking someone was breaking in, the sensation did cause the man to become vaguely aware of his conscious state. Dick tried to adjust his body into a cosy position, willing himself to fall asleep again before he fully woke. But, the shifting continued, and the bed began to bounce and rock as if he were on a ship, Dick recognising the movement as someone getting up off the bed. Dick scrunched his face up, curling into a tight ball as he tucked his knees to his navel, lazily reassuring his waking mind that Jason was going to the bathroom. His eyelids were pitch black, rather than the hazy red brought along with the sneaking sunlight, suggesting it was still very dark outside and was not time to get up and face a new day, and so relaxing back into the sheets came with ease. Dick’s breathing was quite tranquil, resisting the urge for his back to start shivering as he waited for Jason to return and sink into the mattress next to him. The man’s warmth still lingered on the sheets, and Dick relished in the feeling of Jason’s body heat like it was a fairytale come true.

However, as the moments ticked by at a painfully slow pace, the unoccupied side of the bed began to grow cold. Jason had not yet returned, the lack of his body allowing the heat of the sheets to gradually fade, and the prickling chill invading Dick’s spine made it impossible to fall back to sleep. Paranoia began to bubble under the man’s tight chest too intensely for Dick to ignore, the jittering anxiety invading his safe space distracting Dick so much falling back into a peaceful sleep was impossible. Dick slowly dragged his heavy hands up his chest and past his jaw, beginning to rub his knuckles into the corners of his eyes to try and kickstart his mind and body to sync together. Blinking faintly, Dick’s eyes opened and focused in on the white door on the far side of his room leading to the bathroom. As the man pushed up on his elbows to get a better look, the first thing that became painfully apparent about the dark room was just that - it was _dark_. No yellow glow seeping out from under the space between the floor and door of the bathroom, nor were there any sounds indicating anyone was even inside. Dick frowned, feeling the fog plaguing his groggy mind sluggishly begin to evaporate as he put the puzzle pieces together. Dick strained himself, listening so intently for any sign of Jason in the apartment. A metal click could be heard from the living room, a sound that tinkled as bells do, like a belt buckle being snapped and placed around someone’s hips.  
_‘No.’_ Dick’s mind began to dread, his hammering heart only amplifying the anxiety in his system. Jason’t wasn’t...he _couldn’t_ , surely? 

Dick waited, his entire soul clinging to the sliver of hope that whatever Jason was doing was simply temporary, and any second now his footsteps would come padding right back to the bedroom and ask why Dick looked so worried. He’d climb into bed, and nudge his way into Dick’s chest, and the whole world would go on like it was meant to; Dick and Jason happy, together. Dick fully sat up now, the blankets falling away from his chest as he realised how icy the room felt without Jason there. Somehow, the shadows seemed darker, and the bed no longer felt like a welcome place to the man at all. If Dick didn’t know any better, he would have thought he’d woken up in the bedroom of a stranger. Ears trained like a dog, they pricked up instantly as Dick heard another shift, a noise thick with heavy friction as if something stiff was being pushed up against a frame of tension. Something being opened.  
“No.” Dick didn’t mean to say the word out loud, but it seemed all sense of self the man held had been lost in that moment. A broken whisper leaving his mouth without permission, as if protesting the whole situation out loud would somehow snap everything back to normal. This was just a bad dream, and Dick would wake up any second. But, the black hole currently forming in the man’s chest couldn’t be denied, sucking in the last small glimmer of hope still burning as Dick begged to high heavens that for once he was wrong.

_Click. Slide. Thunk._

That was the exact noise Dick’s apartment window made, the man being very familiar with the sound since coming home after a mission and using the building’s door while fully dressed as Nightwing wasn’t the smartest idea in the world. The pattern of noises were clear: the window had been unlocked, opened and climbed out of, and then gently closed. So gently, as if the person leaving hadn’t wanted to wake anyone in the house. Time itself seemed to stop in that moment, Dick’s body frozen like a rigid icicle as he processed what had just taken place. An intense burning sensation erupted all over Dick’s throat, the pain feeling so real someone really might have just scolded him with boiling water. Dick wished they had, since in that moment, being burned severely seemed much better compared to admitting he wanted to cry. Swallowing thickly, Dick pulled enough sense into his system to snap out of the hypnotised state and dart forward to rip back the curtain, his eyes instantly locking onto the brown jacket and red helmet disappearing down the fire escape. To say his heart shattered would have been an understatement. Dick knew that figure was Jason disappearing down the fire escape, and his need to cry suddenly morphed into ugly anger. He couldn’t believe Jason had done this again, and Dick couldn’t believe he was stupid enough to have fallen for it for the 100th time.

Before Dick realised it, his body had already forced itself out of bed and his shaking hands were grabbing for his costume. If Red Hood wanted to run away, then Nightwing would damn sure give chase like the hounds of Hell were after him. Fury was fuelling every movement Dick made, his tears put on hold as his domino mask was slammed onto his face in a very unceremonious fashion. Dick Grayson was no longer stood in the room, the man now sliding the deadly Escrima Sticks into their holders was Nightwing, and his mission was to capture Red Hood, barely alive if he had to. With everything finally in place, Dick took strides towards his window with confidence, pushing the latches away and opening the object with such anger it threatened to shatter. As Dick climbed out and stood upright, the wind beginning to whip his hair around, the Starlight night vision lenses built into his mask instantly activated and gave a clear picture into the darkness. Dick could still see Jason, just barely, having reached the bottom of the fire escape and upturning his collar against the wind. Dick’s mental processing locked onto Jason as the enemy, his hands tensing in vexation under his suit. Nightwing wanted to take Red Hood by surprise, to wait for the perfect moment to strike, and so Dick began to silently pursue Jason by slinking over the rooftops like a black cat blending in with the shadows perfectly. Dick had always been light on his feet, and no matter what happened tonight, the man was sure Jason wasn’t going to see it coming.

The clouds previously rolling over the moon now seemed ominously grey and still, almost as if they themselves were waiting with baited breath to watch the events below unfold. Upon this particular night, the moonlight was incredibly bright and lit up the great buildings and dark alleyways all over Gotham. The same moon which just this evening had been a romantic element to Dick and Jason’s experience was now a sinister asset allowing Nightwing to trail Red Hood with ease. Jason moved without noticing how the moon glowed, or the fact he was being followed - although at that particular moment Jason was unaware of most things all together. He had a task, and he had to complete it. Each footstep taken made Jason want to scream, but just as he had all those times before, he pushed the emotions down as deep as they could go, and set his mind to the backpack stashed in one of his many safe houses. He needed it, he wanted to be gone, he didn’t want to see the backend of Gotham ever again, his legs speeding up into a light jog as he pressed on. Ignoring the tears pricking in the corners of his eyes, Jason rubbed his hands together to try and stop the cold air freezing them. Dick continued to follow the literal dead man walking (currently in more ways than one since Dick was so mad), his light sensitive suit shimmering different shades as it automatically adjusted to how much moonlight was hitting it. Dick was very familiar with all the places Jason stashed his belongings when visiting Gotham, and the man was willing to bet he knew the exact safe house Jason was heading to now. Without the need to keep Jason in his constant sights, Dick knew going over the rooftops would allow him to cut through a lot of time Jason was taking on foot, and he would beat Red Hood to the broken down building with minutes to spare. Giving Dick the perfect opportunity to hide and wait to catch Jason in the act, the acrobat began to leap and flip at light speed over the rooftops; imagining every insult he was going to scream at Jason on the way there. 

Jason was not being chased, although the way he was moving made it look like he was running for his life. The feelings coursing through Jason’s system were so vivid, the man was sure if they manifested he would split in two within moments. Almost like a machine, Jason’s body moved on auto pilot, navigating his way through the lowly illuminated back alleys of Gotham that all seemed the same to the untrained eye. Jason’s legs had gone numb from walking for this long in the chilling night air, but his mind was so occupied with other thoughts the man had barely noticed. His face was numb too, but hidden under his helmet, the cold air was not to blame for this like it was for his legs. Although Jason refused to acknowledge them, the tears invading his cheeks were to blame. The safe house came into view, and some strain on the man’s chest alleviated itself at the sight. A very old and broken down building with almost every window missing or shattered in half, the doorway boarded up and adorned with _“KEEP OUT”_ in bright yellow spray paint. Although many teens would sneak in to try alcohol for the first time, or homeless people would use it for shelter, or drug addicts as a place to get high in peace, it was one of Jason’s favourite spots to hide things in. Being able to conceal and scheme like this was second nature, making sure his belongings would not be disturbed no matter how many misfits walked through was an easy task.

Jason, however, had not anticipated a certain Birdie beating him to the scene. Dick had arrived ten minutes ago, and had found Jason’s backpack in six. Deciding to up the game of cat and mouse, Dick had scooped up the object and slung it over his back before scaling the side of the walls to a platform above; giving him the perfect hiding spot to watch Jason from. Nightwing waited in the shadows, the backpack tucked away safely behind him as Dick perched, the gauntlets resting on his body desperate to be used. A shuffle could be heard as Red Hood appeared, causing Dick to let out a silent shy of relief over guessing the safe house correctly. Jason had climbed in through a broken window, landing on his boots with a heavy thud that echoed throughout the crumbling building, a sway in his hips as he moved. Seeing Jason walk so casually throughout the place made Dick’s anger spike so much he had to stop himself leaping from the platform and challenging Jason right then and there. Instead, the man waited, determined to drag out Jason’s panic, too blinded by being hurt to ignore anything that didn’t follow the rule of an eye for an eye and think logically.

Jason dropped to his knees, his half gloved hands peeling back the floorboard to retrieve his supplies and abandon Gotham again. But, when Jason’s vision was greeted with an empty hole, that plan began to unravel very quickly, causing the vigilante to panic.  
“Shit,” Jason hissed, beginning to look around frantically behind his mask.  
Had it left it somewhere else? Did he come to the wrong safe house? Jason began to pick apart his memories and no conclusion was found, as he was extremely sure this was the place he had stashed his bag at, and there was no possible way he had moved it in the meantime. Jason stood, hands on his hips as his head whipped back and forth rapidly, searching for his possession. If Jason hadn’t moved it, then someone else had, leaving Red Hood with the possibility he wasn’t alone.  
“Fuck.” Jason’s body went stiff, Dick watching from above like a Hawk as he saw Jason realise someone else was here. Dick’s adrenaline peaked.  
Jason began to fret, turning around very quickly as he lined himself up with the widow he had come in through, preparing to run and jump out as quickly as he could, not wanting to risk a moment longer in this place.  
_BANG._  
As soon as Jason turned, something had hit the wall right next to him, making Red Hood flinch. Within moments, smoke began to billow from the pellet that now lay broken on the floor. The cloud of smoke began to swirl like a tornado, trapping Jason in a moment of blindness, unable to see as little as his own hands. Jason’s sight was totally jaded, and so Dick silently sliding down the bars of the platform, standing dangerously close to the younger man went unnoticed.  
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Jason shouted as he stumbled through the smoke, now extremely sure someone else was in the building and guessing whoever was here with him was not friendly. 

Jason moved as quickly as he could, leaping towards the edge of the smoke cloud to try and escape it.  
_‘Wrong move Jaybird, wrong move.’_  
As soon as Jason’s body tumbled out of the smoke, something extremely blunt and painful was driven directly into the middle of his shoulder blades, a wave of electric suddenly exploding over the area of Jason’s body that had been hit. Jason grunted at the impact and cried out over the electric shock, stumbling pathetically in pain as he tried to recover from the discomfort flooding his system. Jason may have been strong, but Dick was fast, and the man sauntered back into the shadows avoiding the smoke like a master. Jason and Dick had sparred many times before, Dick telling himself this was no different, but the way Jason stumbled caused a pull of guilt to hook into Dick’s stomach. He knew just how good Red Hood was at fighting, and yet Jason seemed to be under performing majorly right now. This frustrated Dick greatly, as his anger was demanding a fight, something that was currently not being satisfied. Dick gripped tighter onto his weapons, watching as Jason recovered and his back stood straight again, raising his fists, preparing to engage with his attacker. The smoke pellet began to fade away, trailing out of the window as Dick stepped forward into the light, just enough for the outline of his body to become exposed, daring Jason to strike him.

Still unknowing who seemed to have a death wish, Red Hood saw the opportunity to attack and took it. Raising his fist, Jason drove it forward to try and shatter whoever stood before him, but Dick wanted to fight so much it seemed he was prepared for anything, and his left stick cut Jason’s attack off by smacking into his wrist and forcing his hand down, totally rendering the attack useless. Dick kept his back to the wall, allowing the shadows to cover him as he wanted to remain anonymous for just a few more moments, only allowing his outline to present itself to Jason.  
Jason’s jaw locked in pain behind his helmet, his hand stinging from the blunt force of the attack. Annoyance beginning to cloud his system, Red Hood’s uninjured hand sprang for the gun on his hip that had been used early that night to dispose of his mission. Drawing it back and about to cock it, Dick was thankfully quicker and brought both of his weapons up. One stick was driven into the hand with the gun, while the other was cracked right against Jason’s helmet, up against a weak spot. The stick seemed to vibrate from the contact as Jason’s gun was sent skidding across the room; violent red flashing over Jason’s eyes as his ears ached from his helmet being struck.  
“FUCK OFF!” Jason shouted with a fire, forcing his body forward and connecting his knuckles with the stranger’s face. 

Dick didn’t manage to avoid this one, Jason’s punch catching his jaw like a block of ice; Dick grunting in pain as his mind was knocked from clarity, causing him to stumble forward and out of his cover. Jason pursued with vengeance, hand wrapping around the hilt of his knife and about to draw it from his thigh, until the orange hue from the street lamps outside bounced off Dick’s suit. Jason froze in place, a whole new type of panic blaring through his system like a stereo as he realised who he had just hit. Dick composed himself, head hung low as his fingers flexed around his weapons. Slowly bringing his head up, eyes glaring like daggers behind his mask at Jason, shining ruby red now stained his lip where Jason’s fist had landed.  
“What? Didn’t expect to see me here, Jaybird?” Dick asked, his voice taunting and spiteful, yet the strained vibrations from his vocal chords made the emotional pain within his words very clear. “Try closing the window a little quieter next time, yeah?”  
Jason’s mind felt as if it was exploding, his hand going limp and dropping the knife to the floor with an unkind clatter. Dick was raising his arms, turning his body to the right as he took up a defensive stance, waiting for the next attack. This was not like the Dick Jason knew, before him stood a man with storm clouds in his eyes and blood on his face. This Dick was hostile, an acidic aggression in every movement of muscle. But, the worst thing about it was the fact Jason knew Dick was acting like this because of him; the entire gravitas of the situation could be blamed on him, it was _Jason’s_ fault. The man was stunned into silence still, losing all motivation to fight he had felt a moment ago. He refused to fight Dick, he couldn't. 

“Pick up your damn knife!” Nightwing shouted, tensing his grip around his weapons as he bared his teeth to Jason, desperate to hold onto the anger threatening to disappear from his system. “Fight me!”  
Dick swung forward, striking his weapon across Jason’s chest, admittedly lighter than his first attack. Jason grunted at the pressure of pain exploding on his skin, not even bothering to try and defend himself from Dick’s attacks. No. He _deserved_ this. Nightwing continued to shout and growl, demanding Red Hood pick a weapon and fight back, each word bringing another strike of the Escrima Sticks. Jason did nothing but take the blows, each one making pain burst throughout his body, Red Hood’s knees growing so weak he knew soon standing would be impossible.  
“Fight back!” Dick screamed, his voice cracking in frustration as his anger began to transform into pure emotional turmoil, as without Jason joining in, there was nothing to fuel the fire.  
Jason remained silent, bar from how each crack of the sticks would cause grunts and groans of pain, his body burning in protest from the pain as Dick’s advancements caused Jason to trip up over his own feet; falling off balance and crashing to his knees.

Dick’s eyes were wide behind his mask, his whole body beginning to shake as Jason did absolutely nothing to defend himself. It made so many emotions at once flood Nightwing’s system, his hands beginning to shake so violently his Escrima Sticks almost joined Jason on the ground. The two shared a moment of silence, Jason’s knees fixed to the cold floor like a man waiting to be executed. Dick stood opposite, his chest rising and falling as each breath pushed anger out and brought heart break in. Still trembling, Dick raised his right hand to extend his weapon like a sword, resting an inch away from Jason’s chin.  
“Take that stupid thing off, now.” Dick’s words were laboured, struggling to speak and try to hold back tears at the same time.  
Jason felt like a hollow hole had been carved out into his chest where his heart once rested, holding his palms out to show he was complying as the helmet was gripped and pushed up. The sight Dick was greeted with certainly wasn’t a pretty one, the helmet falling out of Jason’s grasp as the moonlight streaming in through the broken windows lit up his face. Jason’s eyes were as red as the emblem on his uniform, and his cheeks were stained so badly with tear tracks, far too many to have just happened. The state Jason was in made one thing clear: the younger man must have been crying for the last twenty minutes at least, which explained his lacklustre combat. The inside of his exposed helmet was soaked and glistening from where the salt water had built up.  
“Dickie, I’m so sorry-.” Jason began, choking on his words as a whole fresh stream began to pour from his eyes.  
“No!” Dick interrupted, gritting his teeth as his body jerked forward, the Escrima Stick resting under Jason’s chin as a warning to stay silent. “You don’t get to apologise.” Dick spat, his own pain breaking through now as tears trickled over his mask, matching the ones on Jason’s face. 

Dick took a sharp breath in, his heart ache making it hard to concentrate as he threw both sticks down in a splenetic fashion, free hands diving to his face and tearing the mask away to freely rub at his watering eyes. Jason flinched at the movements, eyes shutting for a moment as the sound of the weapons hitting the ground echoed in the building.  
“And you don’t get to cry. You don’t get to be sad.” Dick’s mouth trembled, beginning to taste his own tears on his tongue as he let his broken heart begin talking for him. “You were the one who was leaving again! You’re the one who got out of bed without so much as a damn goodbye and who left through my window! So no, Jay, don’t you dare try and tell me you’re sorry.” Dick sounded as if his heart had been truly shattered with how much raw emotion came out in his voice, his usual level headed control failing him as he allowed his distraught state to take control of his trembling voice. 

Jason didn’t dare take his eyes away from Dick’s face, remaining perfectly still apart from when the tears blurred his vision and the man had to blink to dispel them. Hearing Dick talk like this, how real the pain in his voice was as he recounted what Jason had done, somehow hearing it from Dick’s mouth made it all sound so much worse. Whenever Jason up and left, he had only ever seen his own tears, but now he got to see Dick’s too, and he hated every damn second.  
“I bet you didn’t even come here to see me, did you? You were probably here on some stupid little hunt and you just so happened to bump into me.” Dick accused, the fact he was right making Jason’s chest feel like it had been ripped open. “God, you must think I am so stupid.” Dick was close to sobbing now, throwing his hands up into the air. “ _‘Oh look, there’s Dick. The idiot who doesn’t care about how many times I’ve hurt him before, because he likes me too much to ever hold it against me, and all it takes is one silly little smile to get him opening his legs for me again and giving me a place to stay for the night’_.” Dick spat venom with his words, imitating Jason’s voice through his weeping.  
“Dick, I don’t think that-.” Jason finally spoke, his own voice riddled with pain as Dick continued to talk over him.  
“Well guess what Jason, you’re right! I am stupid, I do like you, and I never fucking learn that all I am is a quick fuck to you and nothing more. I thought it was different this time, Jay, that’s how stupid I am. I thought we were going to wake up together and I was going to tell you everything I’ve wanted to since the first time we dated. Well guess what, Red Hood?” Dick bellowed his words, hands riding his red face of tears as he spoke, toning ‘Red Hood’ as if it were an insult. “I’ve finally learnt my lesson. Now I know that I mean literally nothing to you, that you’d rather leave in the middle of the God damn night after fucking me like a stranger than face waking up to me in the morning. I get it, Jason, _I get it_.” 

Every single word shot out of Dick’s mouth like a bullet, the pain in his voice was a loaded gun. But, Jason's bulletproof chest plate did nothing at all to protect him against these ones. Dick’s face was burning with heat now, his voice fading away into nothing but breathless sobs as he finally got everything out of his system. He was done now, and the shattering reality of the situation was hitting Dick like a ton of bricks.  
“Just...don’t come back, I don’t ever want to see you again.” Instantly, part of Dick knew deep down he didn’t mean that and wanted to take it back. But, then again, Dick’s broken heart really didn’t want to see Jason at all right now.  
Jason knew what it was like to die, to feel your energy begin to slip from your beaten and broken body, and that was the feeling he compared to this moment. Yet, somehow hearing Dick say he never wanted to see Jason again felt worse than death. Jason’s face was soaked with tears, his entire body pulsating with pain. But, the panic that spiked in Jason’s system when Dick grabbed his Escrima Sticks and and begin to walk away was awful. He needed to stop him, he couldn't leave it like this. Jason’s mind was screaming to do something, somehow finding the strength to force his body up to stand, although his legs currently felt like jelly.  
“Do you want to know what we argued about? Me and Bruce, the night I left?” Jason asked, his voice limp with sadness.  
Dick was prepared to leave, already pacing across the room as his Escrima Sticks collapsed into their retracted form and were being pushed back into their holsters on Dick’s thigh. But, the question made the man stop in his tracks. A deep sigh echoed through the room as Dick collected himself, rubbing his eyes to try and rid the last tears before turning around to look at Jason. Seeing the man stood rather than on his knees made Dick feel quite small.  
“I’m listening.” Dick said, his tone matching Jason’s. All the fire and anger was gone now, while sadness hung thickly in the air like a reaper. 

Jason closed his eyes at the response, steadying his breathing for a moment before opening them again. The red blotches around the vibrant green irises of Jason’s eyes matched the blood on Dick’s face, the guilt over making Dick bleed eating away at the strength keeping Jason stood.  
“We were talking about you, Dickie. I was so scared, and I thought Bruce could help me.” Jason began to explain, a nervous smile making his eyes crinkle as more tears began to form before Dick’s eyes. “I always thought I’d never find anyone, yknow? I’d go from person to person, just enjoying it while it lasted until it burnt out, because I never believed in love. Not at all, really. And then I met you, and you made me question everything I had ever believed the first time we kissed.” Jason pulled the sleeve of his jacket down, using it to dab at his eyes, trying to keep a composure about himself as he gave Dick the explanation he deserved. “So that night, we were talking about you, and I admitted I wanted to go steady with you. I felt like we had something special, and I was worried I was going to wreck it, because let’s face it - you are way too good for me. And you know what? Bruce agreed, he thought I was being stupid, and he fucking sugar coated his words, but I knew what he meant. _‘Dick is too smart for you, too good, he’s going places. And you’re a mess, a fuck up, you don’t deserve someone like Dick. And if you try it, you’re just going to get your heart broken, because he’s going to find someone better anyway’_.” 

Dick dared to edge closer as Jason spoke, his cheeks beginning to heat up again now as Jason bared himself.  
“Jay…”  
“But, part of me already knew that anyway. That’s why I always ran away Dick, because as soon as I started to feel things all I could do was think about what a shitty person I am, and how you deserve much more. So that night, I thought if I spoke to Bruce about it, I thought...I thought he could change my mind, and talk me into really going for it, right? But he didn’t, he just made me feel like nothing compared to you. And I felt like all those times I ran away from you in the past must have been justified, because who the fuck am I to think I deserve someone like Richard Grayson?” Jason gestured with his hands as he explained everything, pushing the tears away from his cheeks as Dick continued to tiptoe closer.  
“So, when I saw you, I told myself it wasn’t serious. It was just casual fun, and I had it all fucking planned out. I wasn’t going to stay the night, I swear, I was going to leave like I had no real reason to stay, I told myself you didn’t want me as anything other than a stress relief and I wasn’t going to get attached. But I couldn’t fucking do it Dick, that’s how weak I am. As soon as you fell asleep, I was thinking _‘fuck me, I don’t want to leave him ever again. I want to stay like this for as long as I can.’_ But then that other nagging voice reminded me that you’re way too fucking good for me, and if I stayed I’d just be denying the fact that one day you’re going to meet someone perfect and forget all the fuck about me. And I don’t think I can take that, Dick, I really don’t. Do you know what it would be like, seeing you fall in love with someone else? I’d die. And I didn’t know what to do, I freaked out, and so I left like the bastard I am-.”

Jason grunted at the impact of Dick’s arms throwing themselves around his shoulders, stunned into silence once more as the older man pressed up on his tiptoes to try and match Jason’s height in the hug. Dick was sobbing again, burying his face into Jason’s neck as he clung to the man for dear life. Jason’s brain went blank for a moment, needing to take a second to actually come back into his body before he was able to lift his arms and wrap them around Dick’s body. All the tension was released in that moment, each man leaning his weight on the other before standing became too much. Dick and Jason collapsed together into a heap on the floor, tangled in each other’s arms as more tears were spilled, each soaking the other. Dick’s shaking body scrambled up, sitting himself on Jason’s crossed legs so each of Dick’s heels rested at the base of the younger’s spine. Dick’s hands cradled Jason’s neck, his thumbs moving back and forth to try and calm Jason (and himself) with the action. Jason’s arms were in a crushing lock, holding the man very tightly against his chest, but Dick didn’t care.  
“Every time I’ve left, it’s because I was scared over how much I wanted to stay. I swear.” Jason was almost begging now, desperate for Dick to know he was telling the truth.  
“I believe you.” Dick whispered, the warmth of his breath on Jason’s neck making the younger man’s hair stand on end. “But you’re wrong.”

The comment made Jason’s heart palpitate, as there were so many possible sentences Dick could continue with, thinking of them all made Jason go light headed.  
“I’ve already met someone perfect. He’s an idiot, a huge one, but he’s still perfect.” Dick’s forehead gently bumped into Jason’s, resting there as he began to smile through his tears. “His name is Jason Peter Todd, he was born on the 16th of August and he likes his coffee black in the morning, but with milk and cream when no one is looking.” The older man began to laugh with nerves as he listed what he knew, his hands shaking as they rested on Jason’s neck. “And I regret everything I said to him when I was mad.” Dick’s head sunk down, burying himself into Jason’s chest as he took deep and steady breathes. “And I hope he can forgive me.”  
“I should be the one begging you for forgiveness, Dickie.” Jason whispered, lowering his own head to bury his face into Dick’s hair.

Jason felt comfortably numb, too drained of emotion to keep crying or jump for joy over what he had just heard. But, a small smile did rest on his lips over what had been told. Dick had chased him, he had cried, gotten mad, even swore. All this for someone as stupid as Jason Todd. Dick cared about Jason, he wanted to be with Jason, and this was the best news the younger man had ever been given in his entire second time around on the earth. Dick was currently melting into Jason’s chest, taking in the warmth and security of the body against his own. Dick felt like this was too good to be true, this entire time he was too afraid to admit to Jason how badly he wanted to be together, when Jason was right there feeling the same way. Jason didn’t want him to fall in love with someone else, and this notion made Dick feel like he’d just won the lottery.  
“Jay, I’m so tired.” Dick mumbled, the strain of his emotional rollercoaster now beginning to creep up on him, his body going limp in Jason’s lap.  
“Shh.” Jason hushed the man, dragging a hand back through Dick’s hair to relax him, earning a very sleepy purr in response. “I’m going to get you home safe, okay?” Jason mumbled softly, knowing he had a lot of work to do before he could forgive himself for tonight.

Eventually, the two men managed to separate themselves from the other and began to clean up. Jason collected his gun and knife, sliding them back into their respective places while Dick scooped up his mask and retrieved Jason’s backpack from the platform ahead. Then, when helmets and masks were reapplied, Dick and Jason began to walk together. Whether it was a comfortable silence or if both were too tired to talk, the journey back to Dick’s apartment was quiet. Although silent, it was calm, and the clouds up above glided past the moon as if they knew the conflict was over now. Every now and then, Dick would allow his knuckles to brush up against Jason’s, who happily returned the gesture as the two walked together. Time seemed to have stopped on the streets of Gotham, and walking back to Dick’s apartment felt more like a climb up a mountain than a simple journey back to his living space. Both men were exhausted, yet there was a blessing in disguise for being out at this hour. Winter was Dick’s favourite season, after all.  
“It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?” Dick finally spoke, gesturing to the street at the top of the alley, with holiday lights strung around lighting up the path like a movie set.  
Jason gave a small exhale of breath to acknowledge the comment, smiling behind his helmet at the way Dick looked. Exhausted and cold, tears staining his cheeks and a bloody lip, yet Dick somehow still looked like an Angel to Jason.

“So.” Jason began, teasing his tongue against his teeth behind the helmet as he followed Dick up the fire escape, heading to the man’s apartment window. “Got room for an idiot in there?”  
“If there’s one thing I’ve learnt about myself, it’s that I can’t say no to Jason Todd.” Dick laughed a little as he worked his window open, desperate to collapse into his bed as soon as he was inside. “Want me to check over your wounds?” Dick asked Jason, guilt creeping into his mind over the small scrap he had initiated in a moment of weakness.  
“You certainly do pack a punch, Grayson.” Jason sounded sheepish, following Dick inside and closing the window behind him. “I wouldn’t mind, honestly. Any excuse to spend time with you, babe.”  
“You’ve already got in my pants once tonight, Todd, don’t even think about it.” Dick batted away the compliment, but he had to admit there was a certain something that made sweet talk from Jason feel a little different now. 

Dick headed straight to the couch, planning to ask Jason to undress so he could check over his bruises. But, the emotional whirlpool the man had been sucked into was enough to last Dick a lifetime, and staying focused was proving difficult. The couch was so soft, and the comfort of being in his own home with Jason close by instantly lulled Dick, deciding resting his eyes for just one second wouldn’t hurt. Jason’s words were still echoing in his head, replying the sweeter moment of the night over and over as Dick slowly began to drift. Jason turned away from the window that had just been closed, about to ask Dick if he could have a shower before his wounds were dressed. But as Jason’s eyes fell upon the couch, Dick had already appeared to have fallen asleep. 

Jason looked at the sight before him, laughing quietly to himself over the way Dick looked. Saviour of the city, Nightwing, almost drooling as he nuzzled his face into the couch pillow with a bust lip. Jason pulled his helmet away, wanting to look at Dick properly, placing the item on the coffee table as Jason crouched by the couch.  
“Look at you. I still don’t deserve you.” Jason whispered, being very careful not to wake the man as he began to trace the outline of Dick’s jaw. “There’s so many things I could tell you right now, and you’d never know.” Another chuckle escaped Jason’s lips as he toyed around with the idea, his fingertips working delicately as Jason hooked the corner of Dick’s mask, slowly peeling it away from the man’s face. “But for now I think I’ll start with I’m sorry.” Jason murmured as his hand slid up into Dick’s hair to play with the strands, somehow finding it easier to be open and affectionate when Dick was asleep and unaware.  
“C’on, Dickie-Bird.” Jason sighed, bringing both hands to the older man’s body, hooking one under Dick’s neck while the other looped under his knees, deciding it was time to take the tired out hero to bed.

As the younger man walked, Dick’s head naturally fell against Jason’s chest, seeming like he fit there perfectly. Dick was placed down onto his mattress with a very tender touch, Jason pulling the blankets over Dick to keep him warm. Trying to pry the Nightwing get up off Dick without waking him would be way too hard and so Jason didn’t bother attempting to undress him, but Jay was sure this wouldn’t be the first time Dick had passed out after a long night in it at all. He leaned over Dick’s sleeping form, brushing the man’s hair back out of his eyes as Jason pressed his lips against Dick’s forehead. Jason couldn’t resist lingering there, closing his eyes as he fully took it what it felt like to give Dick such a domestic gesture.  
“Night.” Jason whispered, forcing himself away from the man to leave Dick to sleep in peace.

As Dick slept, Jason walked as silently as his aching body would allow, escaping back to the living room. The clock by the kitchen made Jason feel even more guilty as the time told it was close to almost 8am, the winter sun due to begin rising soon. Jason had no idea how much Dick would want to talk about tomorrow, or if he even had the confidence to have a conversation with Dick about feelings anyway. The couch looked so inviting, just big enough for Jason able to collapse down comfortably and wait for the sun to wake him. But, Jason knew he couldn’t. Taking one last glance around the apartment, Jason left. This time around however, Red Hood left by using the front door, rather than the window.

Jason had lots of work to do.


End file.
